Allies and Rivals II : Commander and the Leader
by Tonifranz
Summary: FINALLY COMPLETED! Wounds of the past started healing between the PPG and the RRB. But a struggle for power and leadership between Brick and Blossom threatens to revive old rivalries. Can Brick and Blossom settle who would be on top, or will this snap the fragile relationship between the Puffs and Ruffs? And do so while old and new enemies threaten our heroes.
1. First Day of School

This is a continuation of Allies and Rivals, my first fic, as is clearly indicated by the title. I strongly recommend reading the first story before proceeding with this one, as there would be many things that would be unexplained or not understood if this one is read by its own. However, if you want to read this one without reading the first, just ask questions in the review and I'll be glad to answer it next time I post a chapter.

And I apologize if the RRB characters are off mark from that of the new episodes in the show. I started the story back in August, before the release of the new RRB episodes.

Please read and review.

P.S. I don't own the Powerpuff Girls, or any of the characters of this story, except Dr. Edwards.

**Allies and Rivals II**

**By Tonifranz**

**Chapter 1 - First Day of School**

The city of Townsville, and it was September 4, the first day of school.

"Wow!" Bubbles said with her mouth wide open and staring. "Pokey Oakes elementary is so big! Not like Pokey Oakes kindergarten."

"Yeah, it's as if we went to another planet!" Buttercup added. "Look at all those kids!"

"Pokey Oakes kindergarten had never this many kids," Blossom remarked.

"That's because not only most of the kids of Towsville's suburbs come here, but also kids of different ages, all the way from the first to the sixth grade," the Professor exclaimed. "And I've already explained to the principal your job as superheroes, and he agreed to excuse you from school every time the hotline rings."

"Gee, thanks Professor, but what about us being grounded for what we've done?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, you Bubbles aren't grounded anymore because you've served your three day sentence," said the Professor. "As for you two," turning to Blossom and Buttercup, "you would limit your superheroing stuff to school hours, and only in odd numbered days after it. The boys would take over at even numbered days."

"Yes professor," said Blossom.

"Okay," the professor said. "I have to go now! See you later! Hope you make lots of friends!" He then went back to his car and drove away.

"I wonder if the boys will be going to school too?" wondered Bubbles.

"Of course they will! You saw the results of the exam yourself!" Buttercup shouted.

"Don't remind me!" Blossom said.

"Why, still upset over the exam results?" teased Buttercup.

"Ah, don't fess about it!" Bubbles said cheerily. "You got the second spot, and you're only behind by a tiny point!"

"But I studied very hard to get the top spot!" Blossom complained. "And I ended up losing to somebody who never had gone to school a day in his life!"

"So what?" Buttercup countered. "We also studied for it, yet we didn't expect to get those high scores. Frankly, I don't get what the big stuff is about. So you're number 2 on the entrance exam. Big deal!"

"You don't understand, Buttercup," Blossom replied. "I've always been number one at academics, and never number two. It's a matter of pride that I should always be on top!"

"Bubbles, Buttercup, Blossom!" Robyn Snyder suddenly called from afar, running towards them.

"Robyn!" the three sisters shouted, running, or rather flying towards her, forgetting Blossom's tantrum in the process.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"So this is a school!" said Butch in wonder as he gazed upon the building and its many people.

"It would have been great if it weren't for all the people," Brick remarked.

"Yeah, it's so crowded," Boomer added.

"Well, they better not mess with us, or they're going to get it," Butch declared.

"Now boys, remember what I told you," Dr. Edwards said as he fetched his boys out his car. "Don't get into any kind of trouble or I'll be very disappointed with you."

"Don't worry, we won't!" Boomer said.

Both Butch and Brick groaned, because they thought that half the fun was gone by this prohibition. But unlike other kids, they won't even think of disobeying their father when they could help it. Their greatest fear would be that their father would be disappointed with them, and their greatest joy is when he praises them and tell them he's proud. But this loyalty is what changed the boys, and restrained their generally rowdy behavior.

"Good!" Dr. Edwards said. "Now, I want you to go out there and be the best that you could be! Always aim to be number one. Remember, you are much smarter than the other kids. And don't forget what I've thought you in the past month! Watch your mouth. Try to be in friendly, or give the impression to be friendly. You've got better chances of reaching the top if you are in friendly terms with the kids here and the people. Or at least if you're not hated."

"Yes Dad," the three said, hanging on every word of their father.

"And don't worry about doing superhero stuff," Dr. Edwards said. "I've talked with Principal Albertson, and he agreed to excuse you three from class everytime my voice is heard on your communicator-watches."

"Awesome! You're really great Dad!" Brick said.

"I know. Remember, you're my sons, a member of the Edwards family, and as such, you must aim at nothing short than being the first in everything. Always be the greatest!"

"Yes Dad," all three said.

"Okay, I'll be seeing you later," said the doctor as he went back to his car and drove to his office.

The trio looked at the school, and slowly began walking towards the building. Soon, a boy, about their age with brown hair, began running towards them.

"Hey guys, can I hang out with you?" he asked.

"And you are?" asked Butch.

"Mitch Mitchellson!" he said.

"Why would you want to hang out with us?" asked a suspicious Brick.

"Because you're the greatest superheroes to come to this city, and I would be honored just to be friends with you," Mitch Mitchellson declared.

Brick laser-eyed the ground near Mitch's feet, causing him to jump.

"Now, why do you really want to join us?" asked Brick.

Mitch was shaking, but he recovered his composure.

"Well, I want to hang out with you because it would make me cool among the kids here and would make me more popular."

"And why would I want you to hang out with us?" asked Brick.

"Because, like you, I hate the Powerpuff Girls, and I know them long enough to give you some dirt on them," said Mitch. "And I know this school, and I could give you tips to help you around. I'm also a jerk and very good at pranks!"

"Well, that seems good enough," Brick replied. "Sure, you can hang out with us, but don't ever screw us, or else!"

"Yes Brick," Mitch replied.

The three then continued walking towards the school building, followed closely by Mitch.

Soon, another boy, like Mitch, with brown hair, and the same age, ran towards them.

"Finally, I've been able to catch up with you. I'm your biggest fan! You're my heroes, the Rowdyruff Boys! Can we please be friends?"

"And you are?" asked Boomer.

"Mike Believe!" the boy responded. "And I very much want to hang out with you."

"Why should we let you?" asked a sceptical Brick.

"Because, well, please! I don't have many friends, so please let me be your friend?"

"Hey, aren't you the kid who thought he had a make-believe friend?" Mitch asked.

"Yes, except that he wasn't so imaginary, and he was not nice at all" said Mike Believe. "Good thing the Powerpuff Girls saved us all."

Brick and Butch was about to tell him off, but Boomer preempted them.

"Why not?" he said. "Sure, you could hang out with us!"

"Really!" he exclaimed. "That is the coolest, most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me." He then began jumping and running around in circles. After a few seconds, he realized what he's doing, and being the shy type he is, stopped.

"Oh sorry," he said, plainly embarrassed.

"Just don't do it again, or I'll say I don't know you," Boomer replied. "Come on!"

"Are you crazy?" Butch whispered to Boomer. "Why would let him be friends with us."

"Because," Boomer whispered back, "Dad said that we must be friendly or seem to be friendly to the people here."

"Yeah," Brick interrupted. "But what use is he to us?"

"Well, I'm sure we can find a use for him. But let's keep him in the meantime," Boomer whispered. "It's better this way."

"Okay, but it's your fault if he messes up and he turns kinda useless!" Brick replied sharply, though still in whispers to avoid being heard by the other students.

"Thanks Brick," said Boomer.

Soon, the three "superheroes" and their two new "friends" Mike Believe and Mitch Mitchellson (who by the way, don't like each other) walked towards the main school building. Soon, the kids in the playground playing stopped and looked at the five kids.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The four friends, Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles and Robyn were discussing old times when a crowd of kids began forming a circle around them.

"It's the Powerpuff Girls!" one of them proclaimed, and they began cheering.

The girls began bowing in response, and Blossom decided to give one of her standard speeches.

"Kids of Townsville," she began, "Thanks for your support, and I promise you, as long as we are here, the Powerpuff Girls will always save the day!"

"What a ham!" Buttercup whispered to Bubbles.

"Hey, it's the Rowdyruff Boys!" one of the kids around them shouted.

Soon, they all ran towards where the boys were, leaving the Powerpuff Girls in the dust. Even Robyn joined the bandwagon.

"Where are you going?" asked Buttercup.

"To see the Rowdyruff Boys!" she said. "I haven't seen them!"

Soon, all they see was the back of kids who where too busy trying to take a glimpse of the Rowdyruff Boys.

"What the heck?" Buttercup said. "Why are they cheering for those jerks?"

"Yeah, why did they suddenly abandon us just because those three showed up?" Blossom bitterly and jealously asked.

"Because, silly," Bubbles replied, "the boys are new, and they haven't seen them yet. Most of them knew us and they already met us, but not the boys. Remember when we first became superheroes?"

"I remember, they reacted to us pretty much the same way they are currently reacting to the boys," Blossom conceded.

"So there isn't anything to worry about," said Bubbles.

"I guess, but that doesn't mean I don't like it," Buttercup declared in a huff.

* * *

In the meantime…

The five boys (including Mike and Mitch) were amazed at the crowed gathered in front of them. They were a diverse bunch, both male and female, ranging from first to sixth grade with faculty and staff. They soon erupted into cheers and clapping. Mitch and Mike were delighted, seeing as their popularity with the kids would increase, while Boomer didn't mind. Butch was disgusted, however, and Brick shared his green brother's sentiment.

"Aw sh-" Butch was about to say, but Brick fortunately slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Shut up, you fool," Brick whispered to his brother. "Remember what Dad said? Now, I want you two to at least pretend to like these people, or at least don't tell them what you really feel? Got it? Good. Now let's act hypocritically!"

Brick then forced himself into a smirk and waved back, though unlike Blossom he didn't give a speech. Boomer grinned as wide as he could and waved heartily, clearly enjoying this. Butch just crossed his arms and kept wore a frown in his face. Mitch and Mike, though aware that those cheers wasn't for them, nevertheless waved and smiled for all they're worth.

Soon, the bell rang and the kids stampeded towards their rooms.

"Well, I guess class begins this minute," Boomer remarked as he floated towards the building. "Hope we don't get those girls as classmates!"

"Yeah," Butch added. "Going to school with them is bad enough, but being classmates with them is enough to make me puke!"

"Ah the girls aren't so bad," Mike Believe interjected.

"Yes they are!" Boomer answered passionately. "And you don't know the half of what they did!"

Mike then realized he hit a nerve when he said that, so he decided not to compliment the girls in front of his new friends. He remembered the last fight that was shown on television, and realized that they were still bitter about it.

A minute later, they arrived at their classroom. The teacher wasn't around yet. The kids were rowdy. Some were throwing pieces of paper at each other, others were crying for their mommy, others were drawing on their tables, while others were sleeping, drooling on their desks as they did so. The sole exception is Blossom, who sat on her chair straight and proper, as if the teacher was already there, while Bubbles was just behind her drawing with her crayons. Buttercup was among those people throwing pieces of paper at other kids.

The five boys (except Mike) jumped at the scene like fish to water. Butch took out the gum from his mouth and threw it at one of the hair girls chatting (not the PPG) and she did not see him. He then began tore pages from his notebook, crumpled it, and threw it at his classmates. Of course, the paper thrown had extra impact. He merely laughed at those who complained, then repeated it. Boomer began making paper planes and flew it around the classroom. Brick calmly went to an empty seat of his choice, tore a piece of paper, rolled it into a kind of drinking straw, tore small pieces of paper and began using it as blowdart, with the paper as ammunition. He began targeting Blossom, whose proper sitting made her a perfect target. Besides, despite the forgiveness thing, he was still sore at Blossom.

"Hey!" Blossom complained as she turned.

Brick quickly turned towards Mike and pretended to have a conversation. As a result, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls was none the wiser. He repeated it, and when Blossom turned her head, he quickly hid it and resumed his conversation.

Blossom was getting suspicious when another large piece of paper hit her in the head.

"Got you!" Butch said, laughing.

Blossom thought about retaliating but decided it's not worth it. 'I won't go down to their level. I'll just tell the teacher.'

Their other classmates include Robyn Snyder and Princess Morebucks.

A few seconds later, their adviser, Miss Mary Cartwright. The class quieted down when she arrived.

"Hello. I'm Miss Cartwright, your adviser, and Science teacher. Now, I want you to introduce yourselves."

She then saw one red haired girl with a big bow raising her hand.

"You can go first," she said.

"Um, Miss Cartwright, I would like to tell you that Butch was being mean and he threw pieces of paper at me and all of the class were very rambunctious, throwing paper, chewing gum and being noisy!"

"Well, I'll see to the matter. But please, I told you to introduce yourself to me, not play tattle-tail," Miss Cartwright replied.

"Um sorry," Blossom said. "Anyway, I'm Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls and saviors of Townsville."

She was met by a stunning silence, not a few kids glaring at her for ratting on them.

"Tattle Tail!" Butch said.

'Way to go, Blossom,' Brick thought as he smirked. 'Now Butch will hate you even more.'

"Young man, your next," she said to Butch.

Butch went up front and simply said, "I'm Butch Edwards and the toughest Rowdyruff. Don't mess with me or I'll kick you butt," he simply said and went back to his seat.

'Smooth, Butch, real smooth,' Brick thought.

"Okay, your next," she then pointed to another red-headed girl.

"I'm Princess Morebucks and my Daddy is the richest man in Town!" she said, then went back to her seat.

"I'm William Bricker Edwards Jr., but you can call me Brick," he said next, his tone concealing his contempt. "And Mr. Morebucks is a tramp compared to my Dad, Dr. William Edwards. By the way, I'm the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys."

That remark infuriated Princess. "Why you little-"

"Princess, please calm down. I'm sure he is just teasing," Miss Cartwright said.

'You'll pay for that!' Princess thought. 'Wait a minute, did he say he's Dr. Edwards' son? I know, I'll marry one of them and get all of his wealth. And I'll become even richer, and Dad's competitor will disappear. Oh Daddy will be so proud of me!'

The Powerpuff Girls themselves were pleased that Princess was annoyed, even if Brick was the person to do that.

Buttercup was next. "I'm Buttercup Utonium, and I'm tougher than Butch!"

"Thanks Buttercup, now-"

"Boys, a monster is approaching the city from the beach!" Dr. Edwards' voice suddenly said from the communicator watches of the three.

"Wow cool!" Mike and Mitch and the rest of the kids said.

"Um, could we…" Brick asked.

"Sure, just be back as soon as you can," Miss Cartwright said.

Soon, the three boys were off to fight the monster.

"Teacher, could we go and fight the monster too?" asked Blossom.

"Sorry girls, but your hotline hasn't rang," said the teacher. "I can only excuse you if there was a call from the hotline."

"But…" Buttercup began.

"No buts," Ms. Cartwright said. "Wait for the hotline to ring."

Sot the girls waited.

Fifteen minutes later, the hotline finally rang.

"I'll get it," Blossom said. "Hello?"

"Powerpuff Girls, help! A monster is attacking Townsville at the beach!" shouted the mayor.

"Um, teacher, could we…" Bubbles began.

"Go ahead. And good luck!" said Miss Cartwright.

The girls scooted out of the building towards the beach, but were surprised by what they saw.

Instead of a rampaging monster fighting the Rowdyruff Boys, they only saw its corpse by the beach. The city itself was undamaged, since the monster was killed before it reached the city proper.

"What happened," asked Blossom to Police Chief Alexander Grulp, who is busy directing the police in cleaning up the mess.

"Hi girls. Well, the Rowdyruff Boys took care of this problem. They just left a minute ago. The rest of the police arrived just before the monster was killed. Looks like you're a little late!"

"Well, at least the town is safer with those boys around," said Blossom. "See you around!"

The girls, except Bubbles, were grumpy.

"Those boys are gonna steal our jobs!" Buttercup complained.

"No they're not," Bubbles countered. "They're just helping us. And besides, it'll make our job easier."

They soon arrived at the classroom with Miss Cartwright teaching science.

"Oh hi girls. The boys just came in a few minutes ago," she said then resumed her teaching.

Brick's smirk was its widest looking at the girls, and it is in a verge of breaking into a grin. Of course, it's a mocking smirk, and it for some reason, nearly cost Blossom to lose her cool. Normally, like before, she would just be irritated, but circumstances made her boil. She glared at the leader of the Rowdyruffs, who just went back listening to the teacher. Butch just looked at her with contempt, while looking at his counterparts with less aversion. Boomer just ignored them.

Soon, the bell rang and Miss Cartwright left, but before the kids could act up, a very familiar teacher entered the room.

"Ms. Keane!" shouted the Powerpuff Girls.

"Hi Girls," she greeted. "Hi. I'm Miss Sandra Keane and I'm going to be your Math teacher. Since I…"

Soon, Dr. Edwards's voice on the RRB's communicator again. "Boys, the first national bank is being robbed!"

"We're on it!" Brick said. "Miss Keane…"

"Of course. Just don't take too long!"

Soon, the boys were off towards the first national bank.

"Miss Keane, could we go and stop the robbers from robbing the first national bank?" Blossom asked.

"Well, you'll have to wait for the hotline to ring before I could excuse you. Rules are rules, you know."

"Yes Ms. Keane…" said the three girls dejectedly. So they waited…and waited…and waited….while Ms. Keane continued her math lessons. After ten minutes, the hotline rang.

Blossom immediately got the phone. "Hello mayor…the first national bank you say…we're on it!"

"Miss Keane?" asked the girls.

"Go ahead," she said.

Soon the girls left. Three minutes later the boys arrived triumphantly. Five minutes later, the girls returned dejectedly.

* * *

This happened one more time that same day, when the Gang Green Gang went on a rampage. The boys got the first call from Dr. Edwards, the hotline rang minutes later, but when the girls flew to the problem, it had already been taken care of by the boys.

That afternoon, as the girls were flying towards home…

"Of all the rotten luck!" Buttercup shouted. "If the police aren't so incompetent, then we would have given those boys a run for their money!"

"Guys, I think…" Bubbles began but was interrupted by Buttercup.

"I got it! Why don't we ask the professor to invent those watch thingies that those boys use?"

"It won't solve our problems, Buttercup. We still have the police to inform us of the crimes, and we don't have Dr. Edwards' sources," Blossom replied.

"Oh this sucks!" Buttercup said.

"Guys…"

"This is bad," Blossom said, again interrupting Bubbles. "We're going to lose our superhero status all because we'll always be late—we'll be useless."

"No! Maybe if we join forces with the boys, we won't have a problem at all!" Bubbles suggested.

"Are you crazy?" Buttercup shouted. "Joining them would be worse than always being too late!"

"Well, Bubbles' right," Blossom said, remembering her earlier promise. "Even if I hate to admit it, we need them to remain viable superheroes. I mean we need to have their efficiency, and we can't have it without having an alliance with them."

"I still think it's a bad idea," Buttercup said.

"No it's not!" Bubbles said. "It's brilliant! And we would have an easier time being friends with them. "

"Who wants to be friends with them?" said Buttercup.

"I do!" Bubbles said, raising her hand. "And I know Blossom does to. Remember that promise?"

"Yes I do!" Blossom said.

"See!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"You're both crazy!" Buttercup replied.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Blossom began, "we need an alliance with the boys if we want to keep saving the day. It's our duty and responsibility—we can't take into account our personal feelings about them."


	2. Alliance Proposed

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 2 - Alliance Proposed**

The City of Townsville, and the three newest superheroes are walking towards home from their first day of school.

"No wonder all these people are idiots!" Brick commented. "The schools here teach nothing new! Every six year old knows that Lee surrendered at Appomattox, yet they don't even know of the Civil War!"

"Aw, you're so smart that you already know that," Mike said. Mike and Mitch are with the boys walking home, since their house happens to be on the same street.

"You mean that kids our age don't know that we have three branches of government?" Brick asked.

"Or that the boiling point of water is 212 degrees Farenheit?" Boomer asked.

"Or any number multiplied by zero is zero?" Butch asked.

"Wow, you guys are so smart?" Mike asserted. "I don't know any of those things, and neither does any other six-year-old kids, so could you teach me all those things?"

"Wait a minute, how did you know all these things?" asked Mitch.

"Dad taught us," Butch simply said. "He said that we should be smarter than anyone else, especially the Powerpuff Girls."

"And the money for it doesn't hurt either," said Brick.

"You get money for studying?" asked Mitch.

"Sure," Boomer began. "It goes like this. Dad would ask questions out of the blue on topics like Science, History, Math, English and stuff, and we would get a dollar for each question answered. He then would give a lecture on each subject, then would ask another round of questions. If we answered it, we would get three quarters. If not, the one who didn't answer will do the days chores. He would then give us an hour to read some books about the topic he thought us, then ask more questions, and if we answered it correctly…"

"We would get fifty cents," Butch continued. "And he would do this everyday. At first, we didn't answer most questions, but as time went on, we asked Dad the topic he would ask, and we would study our brains out the night before. That way, we would almost always answer a total of at least ten dollars for each session."

"And we don't get any allowance or any kind like that," said Brick. "Almost all our money comes from those question and answer sessions. We're smart because of it, so it's worth it, even if I have to cram for it! Because he deducts a quarter for every questioned unanswered."

"How long have you been doing this?" asked Mitch.

"Since the start of July," Butch offhandedly said.

"No wonder you're so smart," Mike commended.

"And your Dad sure made studying pay-literally," Mitch said.

"Not to mention all those knowledge," Mike said. "Oh here's my house. See you tomorrow."

Mike then darted towards his house.

"Hope you don't brag 'bout this, you might look like a nerd or geek, y'know," Mitch said.

"Don't worry. We ain't gonna be goody two shoes like those Powerpuff Girls," Butch said. "We're tough, and we're gonna show it!"

"And smart too," Brick added. "No matter how smart we are, we're never look like nerds! Besides, you won't tell anybody else, right?"

"Of course not!" Mitch said. "You're too cool! And I can't wait to see the look on Blossom's face when she finds out she's not the smartest one around. Well, see you tomorrow."

Mitch Mitchellson went home with a big evil happy grin on his face.

The boys continued home.

* * *

"Hi boys," Dr. Edwards said as soon as they arrived home. "Are you guys busy this afternoon?"

"Not really," said Brick.

"Good," said the doctor. "I've got something to show you in my lab."

"Wow! A present?" asked Boomer enthusiastically.

"Well, it's close!" the doctor said. "Now, how was your first day of school?"

"Well, it's not that bad," Brick replied. "I don't know what's the fuss is about it being hard! Heck, I could pass it with my eyes close! Hell, it's harder for Mojo to rant repeatedly again and again that it is for me to pass, and I'm sure it's the same for my brothers, right?"

"Well, I think so," Boomer said. "Science is no problem, but the others might be a kind of challenge."

"It's all easy!" boasted Butch.

"Well, it might be easy for you, but not to your classmates," said Dr. Edwards. "And without your special lessons from me, our classmates would be just as smart as you!"

"Yeah, I guess," said Brick. "And guess what? Those powerpuffs are our classmates!"

"Yeah," said Butch with disgust. "And their leader ratted on the entire class!"

"The girls aren't so bad, boys," the doctor said. "Besides, you already forgave them. There's nothing to be pissed about. Maybe you can be friends with them?"

"Dad, forgiving is one thing, but forgetting is a completely different matter," Butch exclaimed. "We rather be chummy with Mojo than be friends with one of the girls!"

"Boys, you shouldn't have that attitude towards the girls!" Dr. Edwards said. "Sure, you suffered because of them, but that's in the past. Besides, it isn't healthy for you to hold grudges. Anyway, did you make any friends today?"

"Well, they're not really friends, but they're close enough!" Boomer declared.

"Who are they?"

"Well, Mitch Mitchellson, and Mike Believe!" said Brick. "They're really cool, though not as cool as us!"

"Glad you have made some friends. I was worried that with your attitude, you wouldn't be able to make any," Dr. Edwards said as they entered the doctor's lab.

Then, without warning, Dr. Edwards wore black shades and threw a ball the size of a large marble on the floor.

Suddenly, all the boys could see was white, and they closed their eyes and put their hands in front of their close eyes.

"Can't see!" said Boomer.

"Yeah, where did that bright light come from!" Butch whined.

"My eyes! We're being attacked! Protect Dad!" Brick panicked.

Dr. Edwards took from his pocket three similar shades to which he was wearing and carefully put one of them in Brick's eyes.

"Brick," he whispered. "You can open your eyes now."

"But Dad, the light's too bright!" replied the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

"Trust me," said Dr. Edwards.

"Okay," said Brick, and he carefully opened his eyes. It was a bit bright, but only as bright as the noon of a clear day in summer. He first saw his brothers with their eyes closed, and he observed his Dad looking at him with those dark glasses on. He then saw a small ball giving off a tremendous light.

"That, my son, is the sunball. It's my latest invention," said Dr. Edwards.

He then picked it up and pressed a button, and suddenly, all the bright light disappeared.

"If you press this button and throw it in the ground, it would give an intense light that would force all those within a radius of one hundred feet to close their eyes or be blinded. Except of course if you are wearing my special shades, which I also invented. Butch, Boomer, you can also open your eyes now!"

Butch and Boomer opened their eyes.

"You could've at least warned us!" Butch complained.

"Yeah Dad! I was nearly blinded," Boomer added. "But that sunball is cool!"

"Now, wear your glasses," he said, distributing special dark glasses to his sons.

They wore it. What they saw is just like what anybody would see with ordinary shades.

"Brick, would you do the honors," Dr. Edwards said, giving the marble sized sunball to the red-haired ruff.

Brick then threw it in the floor after pressing the single solitary button on the sunball and threw it into the floor. In a second, there was a bright light, but with the shades, it was just like an ordinary summer day. They could see the room as if they didn't wear any shades.

"Wow! With this baby, we won't have to worry about losing again," Butch declared.

"Not really. The light would only last five minutes, and it would have to be recharged for two hours for it to be used again. The good news is, it could be recharged by the sun," Dr. Edwards said.

Soon, the ball's light faded and the light around the lab returned to normal.

"But Dad, there's not yet five minutes," said Boomer.

"Well, if you added the minutes when I surprised you the first time, then it would be exactly five minutes," their father replied. He then gave the sunball to Brick. "You're the leader. I'm giving you the responsibility to decide when and not to use it. Use it only when necessary and use it wisely."

"Yes Dad," said Brick.

"And remember, don't tell anybody else about this weapon, especially the Powerpuff Girls, or else!" Dr. Edwards warned.

The boys gulped at their father's sudden change of tone.

"Good," said Dr. Edwards. "Now you go play or do whatever six year olds normally do. And don't forget the Q&A session before dinner!"

"Yes Dad," said the three boys as they went outside the lab and into the house.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"An alliance?" Buttercup sceptically asked. "Are you guys sane? Even if you're right Blossom, I don't think they would want one. I mean after what happened last week, I don't think those jerks would want to join us!"

"Yeah, but that wouldn't deter us!" Blossom confidently declared. "We would negotiate with them the terms of a proposed alliance!"

"With what?" said Buttercup. "We don't have any cards to deal with them! Basically any negotiating that we'll be doing will be tantamount to begging for the scraps!"

"No you're wrong," Bubbles added. "I'm sure Blossom can think of something."

"And whatever you say, we need an alliance to survive as superheroes!" Blossom declared. "And don't worry. Before the week is over, we'll be working together with the boys with me as leader!"

"Ha, you wish!" Buttercup said.

* * *

Later…

"Professor, I know I'm grounded for two months, but could I go to the boys' house?" Blossom asked the Professor as he was watching a game.

"HE WAS SAFE!" the Professor shouted, not even listening to Blossom. "DID YOU SEE THAT! I SWEAR THAT UMPIRE WAS BLIND. What's that Blossom? Sure, yes, whatever you say. THAT WASN'T OUT, IT WAS SAFE, THEY SHOULD HAVE FIRED THE UMPIRE!"

"Thanks Professor," said Blossom.

"You're welcome! HE SHOULD'VE BEEN SAFE!"

A few minutes later, when the game was over on TV...

"Hi Bubbles, hi Buttercup," the Professor greeted. "Where's Blossom?"

"She went to Dr. Edwards' house," Buttercup declared.

"SHE WHAT! I thought I told her she was grounded for two months! And according to the calendar, it's a lot less days before October 29!" the Professor ranted.

"But Professor, you just gave her permission," Bubbles said.

"I did? I don't remember giving any permission to Blossom," said the Professor.

"Well, we got proof!" Buttercup said. "Show him Bubbles!"

Bubbles then grabbed a videotape and put it in the VCR. It showed the Professor watching his game on TV and Blossom asking permission and the Professor giving her his "consent."

"Well I'll be," said the Professor after watching the videotape. "By the way girls, where did you get the camcorder."

The girls just giggled.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Well, here it is!" said Blossom. "I hope I do fine!"

She knocked on the door.

Dr. Edwards opened the door. "Hi Blossom! What brings you here?"

"Um, could I see the boys, specifically Brick," said Blossom.

"Brick, you girlfriend, Blossom, is here to see you!" the doctor shouted, laughing afterwards, teasing both his son and Blossom.

"Doctor!" said Blossom, her cheeks flushing red. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs…

The boys were playing with their toys when they heard their father call them, er, Brick.

"Brick, your girlfriend is here to see you!" they heard their Dad say.

"So Blossom is Brick's girlfriend!" teased Butch.

"Brick and Blossom, sitting under the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Boomer started singing.

"You two shut up! She is not my girlfriend," Brick shouted, his cheeks red and absolutely furious with his father.

"Dad, she is definitely not my girlfriend!" Brick shouted as he stormed down the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Blossom, Brick, I was just teasing," said their father.

"What do you want, girl?" Bricked asked.

"Brick, the name is Blossom. I came here to make a very important proposition," Blossom began. "I would like to propose that _you_ _join_ _us _in an alliance so you could have the honor of being part of the _Powerpuff_ team and the privilege of serving under _my _leadership!"

"The nerve! The nerve of that girl, barging here around and demanding we join them and accept her as leader!" Boomer whispered to Butch. Both of them are listening, though both leaders didn't know it.

"Yeah Boomer," Butch replied. "I second it. That girl has some nerve! Brick must not give in to that girl or leader or no leader, that Brick is going to get some serious ass kicking after this."

"Yeah, I'd rather watch the aquarium channel than follow that girl's orders!" Boomer concurred. "An alliance is okay, but I won't follow accept Blossom as leader! I don't know how Brick could stand her!"

"Hey, as Dad said, she's his girlfriend!" Butch joked, and they both laughed and soon, both were rolling on the floor. "And correction, the only thing scarier than having an alliance with the Powerpuff Girls is having Blossom as leader."

Both laughed again.

"No seriously, an alliance with the girls is OK with me as long as Brick and not Blossom is the leader!" Boomer declared. "Besides, her sisters are much more bearable than Blossom, especially Bubbles."

"You mean after what they've done, you can still stand them?" Butch asked incredulously. "You're the one who heard from that monster all about his alliance with the girls! How could you even stand them all?"

"You forgave them!" Boomer said in reply.

"Correction! Brick forgave them. And yes, I forgave them, but as Brick suggested, I only forgave her because it's in our self-interest to do so! And answer my question!"

"Okay, okay, it was all Blossom's fault!" Boomer defended. "She's the one who led her sisters and they just followed her. Bubbles thought we weren't evil. She never laid a hand on me and Brick. So I'm not sore at her, and I can stand working with Bubbles, though don't get me wrong, she and I are not friends!"

"Nah, let Brick decide it!" Butch said. "Let's just listen to the two."

So the two brothers listened to the conversation between Brick and Blossom.

Brick was not irritated by Blossom's demand. In fact he was amused by her audacity.

"Very interesting proposition," replied the red ruff with dripping sarcasm, "I would certainly be delighted that we would serve under such darling heroic superheroes!"

"Really?" said Blossom, the sarcasm totally lost on her.

"Fat chance!" Brick acidly replied. "However, if you accept my conditions, you could have your precious little alliance!"

Blossom's face fell, but it brightened when Brick dangled the possibility. "Okay, let's hear it!"

"In such an alliance, _I_, Brick Edwards, should be the leader, not you. And as such, I should have full command of each of your sisters. You shall remain leader of the Powerpuff Girls, but I shall have direct authority over Bubbles and Buttercup. You shall be my subordinate, my second in command so to speak, but you shall have no authority whatsoever over Butch and Boomer. And any orders you make towards your sisters can be overruled by me. There are my conditions, now do you accept?"

"I certainly will not!" Blossom indignantly replied. "I should be the leader, not you. I accept it if I'm the leader, not you!"

"And why is that so?" asked Brick.

"Because I'm a better leader than you!" Blossom declared with as much pomp as she could.

"No, you're not, I am!" Brick replied.

"You're not!" Blossom said.

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

"Prove it!" Brick finally shouted.

"Sure. With pleasure," Blossom replied. "I am the leader of the Powerpuff Girls, the greatest superhero team Townsville ever had, has, and will have! I've led my sisters on many life-threatening missions to save Townsville from many threats, and that includes you and your brothers once," Blossom emphasizing that fact, "and stopped countless villains from repeatedly destroying Townsville. We're considered heroes by the people of Townsville, and they love us. We're the protectors of Townsville. And none of this would be possible if it were not for my strategic plans, my brilliant tactics and of course my inspired leadership!"

'She is so full of herself,' Brick thought, though he continued to listen to every word of the Powerpuff leader.

"And," Blossom continued, "you are only new, and we've been here for a year, so we're far more experienced than you in the ways of being a superhero. So under my leadership, if you and your brothers follow each and every one of my orders and obey my instructions, you in time would be as good as us! Just act like obedient puppies, you'd be fine."

Brick was infuriated by Blossom's last remark, but calmed himself down. "Well, you failed to account for your failures! A leader should always bring his team success, while you have failed many times."

"I have never failed at anything!" Blossom declared.

"Really. Then what do you call the time you stole a pair of golf clubs for your father and got community service? Or that time when you fought that monster, and all your tactical plans proved useless because Bubbles just asked it to leave, and it left, and let's not forget our third fight since we're resurrected by Dad. Oh yes, you bungled that up!"

"We've already discussed that one before, Brick, and you already forgave us!" Blossom said.

"Oh yes I did, we forgave you. But I'm not talking about forgiveness here, Blossom. I'm talking about the level of competence of your leadership, or lack of it, at that time. Hm, if you're such a spectacular success, you wouldn't need to ask for this!"

"Why you!" Blossom said, gritting her teeth. "You must know that I'm not perfect. Because of my many decisions, I'm bound to make a mistake! And that's what's not important! As if you hadn't made stupid mistakes before. The important thing is that you learned from it, and you've corrected it, just like I did after that big mistake I just did!"

"Oh, so you admit you're not Little Miss Perfect anymore, Little Miss Utonium. That is news! Stop the presses! I have a surprising, shocking announcement! Print it in bold big letters, BLOSSOM HAS ADMITTED TO NOT BEING PERFECT! FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!" Brick shouted with relish, enjoying the look of annoyance on his counterpart's face.

"Very not funny," said Blossom.

"Yes it is!" Brick insisted, snickering.

"No it is not!" Blossom said, backing away to the wall.

"Hey, you're shoes untied!" Brick suddenly said.

"Oh," Blossom replied, then bent down to tie her shoes, conveniently forgetting you can't bend down while lying flat against the wall. She lost her balanced and fell to the floor.

"You fell for the lamest joke in the world. I was wrong," Brick said, "you are perfect, a perfect…" but whatever he was going to say was lost in laughter.

Brick collapsed in laughter. Not that it was particularly funny by itself, but by the level of annoyance he detected in Blossom.

"That's a good one, Brick!" Boomer shouted from the next room, and both Butch and Boomer was heard laughing from the next room.

Blossom was embarrassed, and sweating. "Stop it!" she shouted as she righted herself. "It's not funny! I'm not _that _perfect!"

"Stop it, don't say anything, can't breath, so funny!" Brick said, laughing so hard.

"Ooooh! Brick, you and you're brothers are nothing but brain dead idiots!" she shouted, and left the room, fuming. "And you can keep your alliance! We certainly don't need it!" she shouted, conveniently forgetting that she and her sisters were the one who needed the alliance.

The boys' laughter just increased.

She resisted the temptation to pull her hair. 'Those boys are so annoying. Anyway, who needs boys! We can certainly manage on our own!'

* * *

Thirty minutes later, after the laughter had completely subsided at the Edwards suburban home…

"You sure showed her!" Boomer said, complimenting Brick.

"I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah, for a minute there I thought you were going to sell us out?" Boomer said.

"Now why would I do that?" Brick replied. "You should've have known that an alliance is the last thing I want. And by the looks of it, we won't have one for a very long time."

"You sure, Brick?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah," he replied. "Blossom is one proud girl, and she won't agree to any alliance with my conditions."

"But what if she agreed to it?" asked Buyvh.

"Hm, well, in the absolutely one in a million chance that she'll agree to it, well, why not?" Brick said. "I mean being a leader of two is one thing, but being a commander of five, now that is power!"

"Knock yourself out, Brick," Butch said. "But the best thing about it is that she can't blame you on not wanting an alliance."

"Yup! We did hear her say, 'You can keep your alliance'," Boomer said, mimicking Blossom.

"That'll teach those girls! I mean the nerve of her, going in here, demanding we join them in an alliance with her as leader!" Brick remarked.

"She should have known that you can't stand taking orders from anybody but Dad," Boomer said.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Tomorrow? Sure I'd love to! Okay bye," John Utonium said on the phone.

'Wow, I'd been invited to the _National Conference of American Scientists_! For the entire weekend! Wow, what an honor! But what about the girls? Miss Keane is leaving town this weekend, the Mayor is attending a conference in Washington D.C., and Ms. Bellum is with him to keep him from embarrassing himself, and all of my other friends are out of town, so that leaves Mr. Morebucks, no, no, not him. Now let's see, well, there's William, though he's still hates me, or does he? But he loves the Powerpuff Girls, but I'm not sure after what happened next week. Well, I'll have to ask. Wait, he's a scientist too? What if he attends the conference too? Then I can't leave the girls to her. But he also has boys to take care of? Where will he leave them? I must know so I can leave the girls to them,' he thought. He then dialed Dr. Edwards's number.

"Hello?" said William Edwards.

"This is John," Professor said. "Hi William."

"Oh, it's you. Anyway, Blossom was here. I thought you grounded her for two months."

"Um, well, ah, I gave her permission, sort of," the Professor said, feeling nervous.

The doctor could feel the professor's unease. 'Wonder what made him so uneasy about it.'

"Don't worry, Blossom just left. I'm sure that she'll arrive there soon enough. Don't worry. She can take care of herself. She's a superhero, after all," Dr. Edwards said.

"Oh it's not that!" said Professor Utonium. "I just want to tell you that I've been invited to the _National Conference of American Scientists_."

"Lucky you. Call me when you have more important things to tell me," said Dr. Edwards.

"You mean you're not excited?"

"Frankly, they're not worth the paper the invitation's printed in. It just a gabfest and nothing comes out of it. Believe me, I know, I've attended eleven of those things. I just politely declined to attend this year. I'd rather watch reruns of Barney than attend another of this."

"Anyway, since you aren't coming, could you look after my girls since I am gone for most of the weekend?"

"Why not?" said Dr. Edwards. "I have nothing better to do this weekend. Sure. When are you dropping them off?"

"Tomorrow, Friday, after school. I'm leaving Townsville tomorrow at six, and I'm going to pick them up Monday afternoon."

"Okay," Dr. Edwards said.

"By the way, what's that laughing I keep hearing?"

"Oh that's just the boys having some fun," said Dr. Edwards.

"Okay," said Professor Utonium. Little did he know that the boys were making fun of Blossom.

'Problem solved,' the Professor declared as he hung up the phone. 'I don't care what William says about the Conference, tomorrow, I'm going to go to New York City!'

Blossom arrived, mad as hell, a few seconds before Professor Utonium hung up.

"Oh those boys!" Blossom ranted.

"What happened!" Bubbles asked.

"Those boys are impossible!" Blossom said. She then told the girls what happened, saying word per word what she told the boys and Brick's response. "And they had the audacity to make fun of me, so I told them to take a hike!"

"You blew it!" Buttercup simply said.

"I did not!" Blossom defended, irked that Buttercup, of all people should take the sides of the boys. "Tell her Bubbles! It's the boys' fault, not mine!"

"Sorry Blossom, Buttercup's right," Bubbles said. "You blew it! You should have asked, not demanded that they join us and with you as leader. A little dose humility doesn't hurt you know."

"I was humble," she cockily asserted.

"Normally, I'd say that the boys aren't worth having an alliance with, but having said that, you are so full of yourself Blossom!" Buttercup retorted. "You of all people say that we need them to remain as superheroes, yet you go to their house like they're the one who should ask us? What kind of fools do you think those boys are? And if you're right and we need them, then we wouldn't be superheroes for long, all because you bungled it!"

"No I didn't," defended Blossom. "But you're right. We still need those boys to survive as superheroes. And because of this, I have a new plan that not only would make us allies and renew our superhero status, but would wrap those boys around our fingers!"

"Not another of your plans, please!" Buttercup said.

"Nonsense. My new plan will work. Trust me. The last one didn't work because of the boys intransigence!" Blossom said.

"You said that last time," Buttercup said.

"Just listen to my plan," Blossom said. "Bubbles, Buttercup, my plan is…" and Blossom told Buttercup and Bubbles her new plan.

* * *

Afterwards, Buttercup was grinning and Blossom was smirking and Bubbles was frowning.

"I like it!" Buttercup said, rubbing her hands. "Even if it's not worth it, I like your idea!"

"I don't like it!" said Bubbles. "This is no way to make friends!"

"Don't worry," said Blossom, reassuring Bubbles. "I'm sure we'll all be friends after this. And if this fails, we'll try your plan. Just trust me on this, okay?"

"Okay," Bubbles said. But she still thinks it would end in disaster.

"Now, there's only one problem…" said Buttercup to Blossom.

Suddenly the Professor entered.

"Girls, I'm be going to the _National Conference of American Scientists_ tomorrow afternoon. I would be gone the entire weekend and I've just asked Dr. Edwards if you three could spend the entire weekend in his home and he said yes. Are you girls okay with that?"

"Yipee!" Bubbles shouted, jumping up and down. 'Now we could spend time with the boys!'

"Of course Professor," Blossom said. "We'd be happy too."

"It's okay with me," Buttercup simply said.

"Good. Now be good little girls and go pack your things while I'll prepare dinner," said the professor.

Blossom grinned at Buttercup. "Our problem has just been solved for us by the Professor!"

Buttercup grinned back, but said nothing.

Only Bubbles seemed worried. 'I hope Blossom's right.'


	3. Mojo's Attack

**Allies and Rivals**

**Chapter 3 - Mojo's Attack**

The city of Townsville, and the city's resident snob, Princess Morebucks went stealthily into Mojo's lair that Thursday afternoon on September 4.

'Those Powerpuff Girls are the ones to blame! It's their fault! If it weren't for them, those new rich boys would be looking at me!' she thought. 'I must get rid of them, for revenge at not being made into a Powerpuff Girl and so that I would have the boys all to myself!'

Soon, Princess Morebucks entered the "secret" hideout of Mojo Jojo on top of Townsville Volcano Top Observatory.

She caught the genius of a monkey looking over a blueprint.

"Boo!" she said, frightening Mojo.

"Ah, what are you doing in my property, in my domain, my home, my house, my mansion, my secret laboratory, my domicile! You are trespassing, making an illegal entry, intruding, infringing, encroaching on my home!" Mojo ranted. "And you are bothering my brilliant plan to destroy the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Oh please," Princess said. "We all know that your plans never work!"

"On the contrary!" Mojo replied. "You are wrong, mistaken, out of touch with reality, in sin and in error pining, false, misguided, fatally flawed and faulty! My new brilliant plan is definitely going to work! Look and behold my new and improved and expanded Robo Jojo! This is the instrument, device, machine, contraption, equipment, apparatus, paraphernalia that I, Mojo Jojo, the greatest, most genius of all villains, will use, utilize, apply, employ to destroy, decimate, mutilate, kill, maim, disfigure, annihilate, obliterate, extinguish, eradicate those accursed, annoying, aggravating Powerpuff Girls! Muhahahahaha!"

"So? You could've said you're going to use that to destroy the Powerpuff Girls? What are you, a walking Thesaurus?" Princess then looked at the blueprint. She then dropped to the floor laughing. "You expect to destroy the girls with that! I've seen better things that could destroy the girls in a toy shop!"

"It's not funny, humorous or amusing," Mojo asserted.

"Oh pshaw, you know your plans never work. Now listen Mojo, I need you to take care of the Powerpuff Girls for me!"

"Okay, but why do you want me do to it when you think my devices are no good?"

"Because," said Princess, "I want my hands clean. I don't want anybody know of my involvement."

"Fair enough," said Mojo Jojo. "I would destroy the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdy…"

"No, no, no, just the Powerpuff Girls!" said Princess. "Don't harm the boys. I want them safe and sound. After all, how could I marry one of them if they're all dead or maimed for life?"

Mojo looked at Princess as if she was insane.

"You have lost your mind!" Mojo said.

"No I did not!" said Princess in defense. "Don't you see, those boys were adopted by the rich Dr. William Edwards, head of the Edtech Corp, though he's not as rich as my Dad…"

"Wait a minute, Princess! I did a little research," Mojo interrupted, "and it turns out that Edwards is richer than your Dad!"

"Don't interrupt me! And I don't care what your stupid research says—my dad is richer than that Edwards guy! Anyway, all I have to do is marry one of them and I'll get all his wealth!" Princess schemed.

"You forget a couple of things," Mojo countered. "First, how can you marry them? You're underage and just six. Second, how are you sure that one of them would actually want to marry you? Third, even if you do succeed to actually persuade one of them to actually marry you, I'm doubtful he will allow his son to marry you, and even if you did, you still won't have Edwards wealth because he is still alive and I don't think he'll give any to you."

"Oh hush, you silly old monkey," Princess said. "Do you really think I haven't thought of those before? First, if the courts allow five year old girls like me to be thrown in jail, then having six year old kids marry is not so impossible. Plus, Daddy's lawyers and bribes to judges and the media will fix any problem on that score."

"And once the Powerpuff Girls are out of the picture, those boys would naturally fall for my charms, and I could easily pick one of them. As for Dr. Edwards, well, let's just assume he might face a slight 'accident' which would kill him, and in their grief, the boys would want to find comfort, and one of them will turn to me."

"You're mad if you think you can pull this one off!" Mojo said, looking at her with disgust.

"Not as mad as some of your plans for destroying the Powerpuff Girls," Princess retorted. "And I'm not pulling it off. We are!"

"Well, what do I get out of it?"

"You get the Powerpuff Girls," said Princess.

"Fair enough. What's your plan?" asked Mojo.

Princess Morebucks two small pellets from her pocket and handed it to Mojo.

"These pellets, when you throw them on the ground, produces a very lethal gas. Well, not exactly lethal, but this gas is strong enough to knock out even a creation of chemical X for hours, so just use it, and for a few hours, the girls would be in dreamland ready for your picking."

"Hm, that's brilliant. Not nearly as brilliant as my plan to use my Robo Jojo, but brilliant nonetheless!" Mojo Jojo said. "Now I can have my revenge on those accursed annoying Powerpuff Girls for all the humiliations they've inflicted on me and for preventing me from taking over Townsville, and eventually, the world!"

Princess just rolled her eyes at Mojo's rant. "Just remember, I must not be involved!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Hello," said Dr. Edwards in his phone.

"Hello, Bill Edwards," said the voice.

"Spencer Morebucks?" said William Edwards. "The name I William, W-I-L-L-I-A-M, not Bill. You know how I hate that nickname. So how's my business competitor and former classmate doing?"

"Very good! Business is on a roll!" Mr. Morebucks said, though without the usual swagger.

"I'll say it is, Spence! Though far behind Edtech Corp. in earnings, savings, productivity, profits and every other conceivable category. But nonetheless, your company did have a good year," Edwards stated.

"We'll catch up and overtake you soon enough, Bill," said Spencer Morebucks.

"We'll see, Spence, we'll see," said a confident Edwards. "And my name's William, not Bill!"

"Yes, Bill," said a chuckling Morebucks.

The doctor was annoyed, but he decided to ignore it. "Anyway Spence, this isn't a mere social call, is it?"

"Of course not, Bill," said Morebucks. "I heard that you purchased a worthless metallic hide for a billion dollars. I thought you've lost it, so I decided to be generous and offer to buy it for 2 billion dollars."

"I'm not a fool, Spencer," Edwards replied. "And you know that too. Sorry, I have to turn down that generous offer. Besides, I'm a scientist. I'd like to find out what secrets that hide holds," said Dr. Edwards.

"Final offer," said Morebucks. "Bill, will you or won't you sell!"

"I won't," says Dr. Edwards.

"Okay, but you'll regret this," said Morebucks.

Dr. Edwards just hung the phone.

"You'll regret this, Edwards, you'll regret this. I'll get my hands on that hide no matter what!" Morebucks said. "And I'll destroy you afterwards."

* * *

Meanwhile…

The girls were packing their clothes for their weekend.

"I can't believe we're spending two whole days with the boys," Bubbles exclaimed as she packed her dresses in her bag.

"Me too," Buttercup exclaimed. "Even if I don't like them, I'd love to see what kind of training facility Dr. Edwards have and what kind of training those boys have! Then I'd become the greatest fighter among the Powerpuff Girls." She then gave an evil laugh.

"What I really want to see is those books I saw on the shelf when we first went there. And I've just got to see those lovely computers. I'm sure that it's the latest model! And I'd like to see his lab! And I'd like to see the books Brick and his brothers are reading. I mean I want to know how they had such high scores in the entrance test," Blossom said.

"Typical of you to read books on a weekend!" Buttercup said. "Look at me and Bubbles, we're not bookworms yet we got very high scores, more than 90 in fact."

"Yeah, but not as high as mine!" Blossom said. "But it would be much better if I were number one! After I become the leader of them, I'll find out Brick's secret why he became that smart in two months, and I'll outdo him and I'll be so out in front that he won't have a prayer of catching up!"

"Oh Blossom, do you always have to be so competitive?" asked Bubbles.

"Of course," Blossom said. "Competition and the drive to be the best is what truly makes one great! One of the best things about those boys coming around is that it keeps us from rusting."

"What do you mean?" asked Buttercup.

"Well, you see, before those boys came," said Blossom, "we were pretty complacent. We were the only superheroes before, our opponents our laughable, we were the most powerful beings on the planet, we were smarter than most kids our age, we received unqualified, unshared adulation from the people. We committed our share of mistakes, but the people always forgave us."

"And it's all gone!" Buttercup said bitterly. "How is that a good thing!"

"Because it keeps us on our toes! Tell me Buttercup, if those boys hadn't arrived, would you be as strong now as you were before."

"Well, no," Buttercup said. "I think I know where you're going right now. Yeah, we would never have trained if it wasn't for us being beaten by the boys the first time around!"

"But we don't need to beat those boys in the first place," argued Bubbles. "They turned out not to be evil in the first place! So we don't need to be stronger than them. What we need to be is to be friendlier!"

"Yes we do need to beat them!" Blossom replied. "You see, we haven't gotten much stronger during our first year, because we didn't see a need to. But there are many close calls that would have been a much easier fight had we been stronger. Just remember that alien?"

"You mean the one that was so strong that we asked Mojo to beat him for us?" Bubbles asked.

"Yup, but if we were stronger and smarter, we could have beaten it ourselves. And if another alien very much stronger than that attacks us, or some very unspeakable horror with enormous powers, we would be sitting ducks right now. But those boys showed us that they are determined to best us, and to top us, and that in itself is enough motivation for me to work hard enough so they wouldn't," said Blossom. "And all of us, including the boys, would be better off for it, and so will the town, the country and the world. So if another alien with incredible powers attack, we won't be sitting ducks!"

"So you're telling us that competing with the boys will make us stronger?" said Buttercup. "Well, I hate to admit it, but you're right on this one, Blossom. But I'll still be the toughest, tougher than you Blossom, and tougher than Butch or any of his brothers!" she then laughed again.

"I guess you're right, Blossom," Bubbles said. "But I think it would be harder for us to be friends because of this."

"Don't worry, Bubbles. Healthy competition isn't bad for friendships. In fact, it makes you closer if you compete with them!" Blossom comforted.

"Really?" said Bubbles.

"Yup," said Blossom.

"I hope so," a pessimistic Bubbles replied. "They're really nice, and it would be great if we work together because we're friends, not because we need to compete."

"I'd disagree with you on them being nice, Bubbles," Blossom said. "But if we work together, even if it were to compete, would go a long way of making them friends."

"I guess so," Bubbles said.

"That is why my plan to make them allies with me as leader must succeed!" Blossom said. "Because we can't compete with those boys if we always rely on the incompetent police and mayor to warn us. Making them allies levels the playing field!"

"Yeah, but do you have to demand that you be the leader?" asked Buttercup.

"Why? You'd rather have Brick than me giving you orders?" Blossom said.

"Well, uh…"

"Good," she said as she inserted some books in her back pack. "Good. Glad you two are on the same boat as me!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

The boys were preparing for their Q&A session when Dad arrived.

"Boys, I have some great news!" Dr. Edwards announced with relish.

"You've taken over the Morebucks Inc.?" asked Brick.

"Blossom decided not to show her face again?" Butch asked.

"You've won the Nobel Prize?" asked Boomer.

"No, no, no!" their father replied. "None of those. The Powerpuff Girls are gonna spend the entire weekend here."

The boys reacted as Dr. Edwards expected them to.

"Aw Dad, do they have too?" asked Butch.

"Yeah Dad, why do they have to? I mean, can't they spend their weekend at their home?" Brick added.

"Actually no," the Doctor said. "Professor Utonium is going to attend a conference in New York City so he needs someone to take care of the girls this weekend."

"But Dad, how about the other people here? Like Ms. Keane, or Ms. Bellum," Brick asked.

"They're not in town for the weekend. It's a kooky coincidence, I know, but what the heck, it happened!" said Dr. Edwards. "And I've already agreed to it, so the girls are spending the weekend here."

"But Dad, where will they stay?"

"Let me remind you, Brick, that we have two extra rooms here. And one of them is large enough and has enough accommodations."

"Dad, are you gonna ask us to be nice to them?" Boomer asked.

"I'm not asking for you to be nice to those girls," said Dr. Edwards.

"Really?" said Brick and Butch, with anticipation gleamed in their eyes.

"I'm expecting it! I expect you to be nice to those girls," said Dr. Edwards with finality, wiping the gleams in the eyes and the grins in the faces of Brick and Butch. "And I'd like to remind you that I'll be easily irritated and will probably have a short temper this weekend, so don't do anything that would make me mad, like not being nice to the girls. Or else!"

Dr. Edwards' eyes gave no doubt to the boys on what he meant, even if his tone does not.

"Yes Dad," was all the three could say.

"Good. Now let's go on with our Q&A session," Dr. Edwards said.

* * *

Later that night…

That night was a brutal one for the boys. The Q&A session was so tough that Brick only gained a net 25 cents while Butch and Boomer lost three dollars and a dollar and three quarters, respectively.

"This sucks!" Butch commented. "I hate this."

"Well, things aren't so bad," Boomer said. "At least we can get to know them better."

Butch looked at his brother as if he was out of his mind. "Are you crazy? You actually sound like you wanted to be chubby with them!"

"No I do not," Boomer defended. "Being friends with them is far different from getting to know them and getting along with them. I don't want to be friends with them, especially Blossom, but I want us to get closer to the only other kids with chemical X super powers!"

"You're just saying that because you secretly like that blond girl!" Butch accused.

"Don't hit below the belt, Butch!" shouted Boomer. "That's not true! And you know it!"

"Then why do you say we need to get close with those girls?" Butch questioned.

"Because…" Boomer began, but was unable say something.

"What? Cat got your tongue! Maybe because what I said is true?" Butch teased.

"Nope! I don't like Bubbles that way, but I owe her one," said Boomer. "So getting along with at least Bubbles is a good thing."

"Alright already!" said Brick, who had been listening. "You two shut up! Butch, Boomer is right. I also owe Bubbles a debt of gratitude, so you're wrong to assume that Boomer's in love with Bubbles, because I certainly am not! But Boomer, your wrong about us needing to get to know them better, because I think I already know them well enough."

"So?" asked Boomer.

"Well, I once thought it would be best if we just would run the Powerpuff Girls out of the superhero business if they didn't accept me as leader, but I realized it won't be in our interests," said Brick.

"Your delusional, Brick," Butch commented.

"Aw shut up!" Brick said. "I talked about it with Dad and he said it was a bad idea. He said we needed the girls to help us."

"See! I was right!" Boomer boasted.

"Not quite," said Brick. "That is, if we don't use an alliance to get the girls to help us."

"What d'ya mean?" asked Butch. "How can those girls help us if we don't join forces?"

"Simple. My plan is, if they reject my demand that they accept me as leader in the alliance, is to divide the responsibility. We would get to take care of monsters and villains except Mojo, while they would take care of all the criminals and would help the people. Thus we would get the glory, while they would get the hard work! Plus, we won't need any alliance to do that. All I have to do is tell Dad to report all crime and Mojo's attacks to the mayor while reporting all monster and villain attacks to us! And we could stay away from them! Our life will become much easier. Best of all, Dad would approve."

"That's not bad at all," said Butch. "But will those girls accept it?"

"They have too," said Brick. "It's either they join us in an alliance with me as leader, or accept my proposal that they fight only criminals and Mojo Jojo, or they could just take a crime-fighting vacation until we tire ourselves out."

"But why leave Mojo to them?" asked Boomer.

"Because," Brick lectured, "if you forget, we made a promise to Mojo that we won't harm him or beat him up under any circumstances unless he harms Dad or any of his properties. Remember, he's our original creator, our Pops, and we still have a tiny loyalty to Mojo left. But we didn't promise to help him if the Powerpuff Girls attacked him, so I see nothing wrong there if Mojo becomes naughty."

"Yeah," Butch added. "I hate Mojo Jojo for how he treated us, but still, he originally created us, so I guess we have to leave him to the girls."

* * *

It was the morning of September 5, Friday.

"Now girls, be good," said the Professor. "I'm heading for the airport about two hours from now. Don't worry, I'll drop off your things at Dr. Edwards's house!"

"Don't worry about us, Professor," Buttercup said.

"Yeah, we'll be good!" Bubbles added.

"And thanks for dropping our things for us Professor," Blossom said.

"No problem," said the Professor.

"Bye Professor!" said the three girls simultaneously.

"Bye girls!" the Professor replied.

The girls raced for school.

* * *

However…

They were flying leisurely towards school when Blossom saw something fast flying towards them.

"Girls, watch out!" Blossom said. "It's a rocket!"

The Powerpuff Girls ducked just in time, missing the girls but continuing towards a house.

"Bubbles, try and get the people out of that house!" Blossom ordered. "Buttercup, you and I try and stop that rocket!"

"Right Blossom!" Bubbles said. Bubbles went to the house and scooped out the people there-an elderly couple and their two-year-old grandchild.

Buttercup grabbed it by its tail. It didn't stop, but was slowed down considerably.

'Good, now that it's slow enough, I can freeze it!'

Blossom then went directly in front of the rocket and used her ice breath to put the rocket on ice. Soon, the ice froze its engine, and it dropped like an anvil to the ground, shattering into a million pieces upon impact.

"Whew, glad that's over!" Blossom said.

"Or is it?" a low accented masculine voice said, then cackled.

The three turned and saw none other than Mojo Jojo.

He is laughing in his new suit that has jet rockets which allows him to fly. It also has rocket launchers, enabling him to shoot rockets like the one he just shot.

"Shut your trap, Mojo, you're going down!" Buttercup said.

"Well, you have to catch me first, and you can't do that while you're chasing this rocket!"

He then fired a rocket at the trio, then blasted off towards the forest, laughing all the way.

The rocket was fast, and before the girls could react, it reached them and exploded.

"Muhahaahah," Mojo Jojo said. 'I don't need that Princess's devices to defeat the Powerpuff Girls. I can do it myself!' He then stopped to view the expected carnage. The smoke lifted and there were no Powerpuff Girls.

'That was my most powerful rocket. That should take care of them!'

"Not so fast, Mojo Jojo!" Blossom said, who in a blink of an eye, appeared in front him without a scratch. She was smirking proudly, with her arms crossed, staring down Mojo Jojo, looking every inch a leader.

Besides her was Buttercup, also without a scratch, frowning, with fist ready to go.

At Blossom's left is Bubbles, grinning. "Hi Mojo!" she said.

"How could you survive my rocket attack! That is my most powerful rocket and I specifically designed it to be powerful enough so that you would not survive it! And how could you be so fast as to overtake my fastest jet rocket, and go 2000 yards in just a second? You're not that strong and fast!" Mojo ranted.

"Mojo, guess what. We are," Buttercup said.

"Oh shoot!" Mojo said. "No matter!" He then pressed his jet rocket to maximum power, and flew as fast as he could away from the Powerpuff Girls—towards the forest.

"After him!" Buttercup shouted, but she was preempted by Blossom.

"No, not yet," Blossom said. "Let him fly and let him think he's escape us, then show him a demonstration of how fast we really are!"

"Why aren't those Powerpuffs following me?" Mojo Jojo wondered as he couldn't detect the puffs going after him.

Suddenly, the girls suddenly appeared in front of him.

"It's over," Buttercup said.

Mojo quickly recovered his shock at their speed. "That's what you think!" said Mojo. He then pressed a button on his watch and a huge robot appeared. He then jumped to its control room. "Behold, my new and improved and _expanded_ Robo Jojo! With this piece of machinery, I will finally fulfill my destiny! This is the most powerful, most technologically advanced, most destructive robot ever! With this, I will gain revenge, I will destroy you, I will remove you from this planet, I will erase you from existence, I will kill you!"

The robot was magnificently made, and has an impressive appearance. About fifty feet high, it opened its palms.

"Take this," Mojo said, and a huge laser beam erupted forth from the open palm of the new and improved and expanded Robo Jojo. "Ha, ha, ha! That is the most powerful concentration of laser in the world! Even you won't survive this!"

The laser hit the three, and seconds later, they were still standing, like before, without any damage whatsoever.

Bubbles pretended to yawn. "It's that all you can do, Mojo?"

Mojo stared just wide-eyed at the girls. "How can that be! A couple of months ago, a laser half the strength of this nearly killed you, while this has no effect on you? No matter, this rocket, containing the equivalent of 3000 TNT plus more, is the most powerful rocket, even more than the most powerful rocket of the U.S. Military." He fired it at the girls, who didn't even attempt to dodge.

Soon, there was a large explosion. In fact, it was so large that the Robo Jojo was nearly blown away. Soon, the explosion ended, and there was a huge crater in the middle of the forest, with hundreds of uprooted trees. But in the midst of it were three girls, the Powerpuff Girls were floating in the air, unharmed.

"What the? How powerful are these girls?" Mojo said in amazement. "A few months ago, an explosion half as powerful as this sent them unconscious."

"Give up Mojo! Nothing you could throw at us will match our power!" Blossom boasted. 'Well, at least our training paid off-big time. And to think, we're this strong-all because we need to beat the Rowdyruff Boys because we think they were evil.'

"I'll through playing games with you pathetic Powerpuff Girls," Mojo said, and he used his Robo Jojo to punch Blossom. The fist of the robot cracked, and it became useless. Blossom was unhurt. She then yanked the arm from the rest of the robot.

"Looks like you're disarmed," Blossom said. "Buttercup, take care of the legs. Bubbles, take care of the body. I'll deal with Mojo myself."

"Right!" Bubbles said, then proceeded to do her orders.

Buttercup said nothing but followed Blossom's orders anyway.

Blossom broke through the control room and dragged Mojo from it. She was surprised to see Mojo sport a gas mask. "This is the end of the road for you, Mojo," said Blossom.

Mojo just watched as his Robo Jojo exploded as Buttercup and Bubbles took care of it.

After the destruction of the new and improved and expanded Robo Jojo, the girls dropped Mojo on the ground.

"What do you have to say for yourself Mojo?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah, before we drop you off to jail," Bubbles added.

"And how does it feel to find us invincible!" boasted Blossom.

"All I can say is this!" Mojo then took a small pellet and threw it into the ground. It broke and a greenish yellowish gas emerged.

"Oh no, girls, run, its…" But before Blossom could finish she collapsed. Buttercup was the quickest to react, and tried to fly away, but by the time she was high in the air, she had inhaled enough of the gas that she collapsed in the air and fell to the ground. Bubbles did not react fast enough, and before she knew anything else, she was unconscious.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Mojo said, laughing. "You might have been more powerful than ever before, but you're not invincible. In the end, it is I, Mojo Jojo, who is victorious." He then looked with obvious glee at the three unconscious girls at his feet. "Better move quickly."

He then took out from his pocket a small remote device, and pressed a button. Ten minutes later, a van appeared nearby.

"What took you so long, Ace?" Mojo demanded.

"Never mind. Where's my reward?" asked Ace.

"Oh here it is," said Mojo, and he gave the leader of the Gang Green Gang a briefcase full of money. "Now off you go!"

Ace was delighted. He then called someone using his cell phone, and a fifteen minutes later, Snake arrived with a stolen car, and in a few more minutes, was gone.

Mojo was left alone with the girls and the van. He then took out some things from the back of the van.

'With this duranium cuffs, the girls would be helpless and unable to use their arms and legs,' he thought, as he flipped the unconscious Bubbles on her stomach, pulled her arms behind her, and cuffed her wrists. He then cuffed her legs. 'And finally, my newest invention, the gravity belt. If I strap it on their waists, they won't be able to fly.' He then strapped it on Bubbles' waist. 'Finally, my anti-laser sunglasses, which would make their laser-eye attacks ineffective, but they would still be able to see.'

He then flipped Bubbles on her back, and put it on her eyes. He then looked at Bubbles, who is now bound hand and foot with shades on. He repeated the procedure with Blossom and Buttercup.

"Now, even if you are fully awake, you would be totally helpless! No matter how strong you are, you can never break the duranium cuffs."

He then put the girls at the back of the van and he drove off towards his volcano top observatory.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Professor Utonium waited in his front door with his and his daughter's luggage beside him.

Soon, Dr. Edwards's car arrived.

"John, get your luggage and ass in," Dr. Edwards said. "Before I change my mind and let you walk to the airport."

Professor Utonium soon put all the luggage in the back of the car. He was about to go sit in front of the car when the Doctor said, "at the back, John."

"But William, there isn't any space at the back!"

"I still hate you John, so either squeeze yourself in the back, or you could walk to the airport," Dr. Edwards replied.

"But…please…is this the way to treat a long lost friend?" teased Utonium.

"At the back!" said Dr. Edwards.

"But…"

"Okay, but one word out of you and you'll go to the back," warned Dr. Edwards.

"Thanks," said Professor Utonium said.

The two men drove to the airport without a word to each other. After dropping the professor at the airport, the doctor drove home and put the girls' luggage in the spare room.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Mojo looked at the unconscious, bound girls. 'Now all I have to decide is how to kill them? Hm, I think a little gloating is in order! But Princess told me never to tell anybody about this. Nah, who is she to tell me what to do!' He then proceeded to write two letters, one addressed to Professor Utonium and the other to…

That afternoon…

"How was your day in school?" asked Dr. Edwards when his sons arrived from school.

"Well, it's not bad," said Boomer.

"Yup, especially because the girls were absent," Butch added.

"That's strange. The Professor told me that he saw the girls off to school,"

"Well, I guess they're just playing hooky," Brick remarked. "By the way, there's mail."

"I hope it isn't bills or junk mail," said the doctor, and opened it and proceeded to read it. Meanwhile, the boys went upstairs to study and to play-but mainly to play.

_September 5_

_Dear Doctor William Edwards,_

_I wrote to tell you to inform you of something very important. I am making an announcement! I am telling you that I have the Powerpuff Girls. I am gloating, I am boasting, I am saying that I have defeated the previously undefeated, the champion of Townsville, the superheroes of Townsville, the Powerpuff Girls. And I come to tell you that you, the one who stole the Rowdyruff Boys from me, Dr. Edwards, cannot do anything about it. You're helpless, and you won't be able to save the Powerpuff Girls, you who had the audacity to take my boys away from me!_

_And furthermore, don't even think of using the Rowdyruff Boys against me. It won't work. The Rowdyruff Boys are useless. You can't use the Rowdyruff Boys against me because we have a previous agreement last time we met, the Rowdyruff Boys promised me that they wouldn't bother me as long as I don't do anything to you, Dr. Edwards, or your property! Ha, and since the Powerpuff Girls clearly is not your property, you cannot force and compel the boys to rescue the girls where I have hidden them, in the middle of Townsville Park at the top of the volcano top observatory! Ha, ha, ha, ha!_

_Sincerely,_

_The Greatest Evil Genius this World has Ever Produced, the Super Villain, the New Ruler of Townsville and Future Ruler of the World,_

_Mojo Jojo_


	4. Conflicting Loyalties

**Allies and Rivals**

**By Tonifranz**

**Chapter 4 – Conflicting Loyalties**

Dr. Edwards looked at the letter from Mojo Jojo. He looked at it and reread it several times, twisting and untwisting the letter in his hand, thinking very hard. At first, he thought it was a joke, a prank, but suddenly, he remembered that Butch said that the girls were absent, and he knew the girls well enough that they're not the type to play hooky. But the smoking gun was the picture of the unconscious Powerpuff Girls in the envelop that he had earlier missed.

'So it's true,' Dr. Edwards thought, as he went down in the couch to think what he would do. 'And Mojo's right. Those boys have still some loyalty to Mojo Jojo. I'm not sure if all that has happened in the past few weeks have shaken off that loyalty, I'm not sure. Some of the traits Mojo gave them is still evident, like their concept of right and wrong, but I've been somehow able to pry them from Mojo by their loyalty to me, but it's not yet complete.'

'Now, how to save the girls? Damn it, John Utonium, why do you have to go to that stupid conference? We might be able to think of something together, but you have to go to that f**king conference in New York City!' Dr. Edwards was very worried for the girls, because he was close to them, and the Professor entrusted the girls to him. 'John will kill me if something happens to them.'

'To hell with it! Loyal or not, those sons of mine will save those girls, whether they like it or not!' Dr. Edwards thought. 'Those boys would have to decide whom they are more loyal to—me or Mojo. And any equivalence from them, and they would get it! And Mojo, you're an idiot. You shouldn't have told me about it. You don't know yet me, Mojo. This time, you would know what would happened if you messed with Dr. William Edwards!'

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom stirred from hours on unconsciousness. 'What happened,' she thought, 'oh yes, we were about to apprehend Mojo Jojo.' She tried to stretch her arms, but then, she found out that it was stuck together at her back. 'What the…' she thought, 'my hands are tied behind my back! Silly Mojo. He should have known that I, as a Powerpuff, could have easily break such chains!' Blossom then tried breaking it, but to her unpleasant surprise, it held firm. 'So it's a little strong. Not to worry. All I have to do is use my superhuman strength!' So she did, and it only hurt her wrists. She then used her full strength to try to break it, but it was futile. Soon, she was reduced to wriggling her wrist in an effort to slip her arms, but the cuffs were too well made for that too happened.

'Must be Duranium,' Blossom concluded, 'the only metal that could hold us, even at our strength. Guess I'm stuck here. Hm, I wonder if I could blast that Duranium with my laser eyes. It certainly is worth a try!'

She then tried to laser-eye the duranium cuffs on her legs, but then, she noticed that the beams went just as far as the shades she was wearing. And then, she noticed she was wearing shades. 'Jeez Louise, Mojo sure thought of everything. I wonder where my sisters are?' She then looked at her side and saw Bubbles and Buttercup, both stirring.

Bubbles was the first one to wake. She yawned, with her mouth wide open, then she tried stretching. She gave the same reaction Blossom did.

"Don't try breaking it, Bubbles," Blossom advised. "I've already tried doing so, and it won't work. It's Duranium, and nothing we do on our part can get it off. It's best if you don't do anything, 'cause it will just hurt your wrists."

"Hey, that Mojo left that window up there open! We can still fly away!"

"You're right Bubbles," Blossom said. She then tried flying, but all her efforts were for naught, as if she just lost the ability to fly. "I can't fly!" Blossom complained.

"Neither can I!" Bubbles added after making a futile effort of her own. "We're stuck here! Well, we'll just have to wait for the Rowdyruff Boys to save us!"

"If they even know we're here," Buttercup, who also awoke and had been listening the whole time. "We aren't even sure those boys would bother even if they knew!"

"Don't worry!" reassured Blossom. "I'm sure everything will be alright!"

"How can you say that?" Buttercup retorted. "We're tied up and can't get out of these duranium bonds. We can't fly, and we can't use our laser eyes, we're stuck!"

"You're right, but look at the bright side," Blossom said, trying to reassure her sisters. "Mojo can't do anything to us that we'll harm us. We're too powerful! The only exception is this cuffs."

"And I'm sure the boys will come and save us!" Bubbles asserted.

"Don't bet on it!" Mojo suddenly said. He just entered the room where they were kept and heard what Bubbles said. "Those boys won't come and save you, because those boys have such great respect and loyalty to me, that they won't come and save you from my clutches! Muahahahahaha!"

"You're wrong!" Bubbles retorted, "I know they're not evil anymore!"

"That may be, but that said, you seem to forget that they still made the promise to me not to attack me unless I attack them or Dr. Edwards, and since I am attacking neither, they don't have a reason to rescue you!"

"They have, because they care," Bubbles said.

That caused Mojo Jojo to fall down to the floor laughing! Finally, after a minute or so of laughing, he stood up. "After what you three did to them last week, attacking them because they were evil, do you think they would really help you on this one? They may not be evil, but they're not a bunch of goody-two shoes either! They won't save you, because they have no reason to."

"That's not true!" Bubbles said. "They forgave us!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Bubbles," Mojo said, "but it is! They won't come here, and you are doomed. Finally I Mojo Jojo, we'll be finally able to win and to get revenge."

He then picked up the girls and placed them on the floor, just in front of a giant laser gun. "Now, to test the limits of your endurance."

"Oh no!" Bubbles cried. "It's the same laser that they used to torture me when I snapped!"

"Yes, and I'll have it at level 18, which is one and a half times stronger than hardcore! I doubt that even at your current level of strength and power, you could withstand level 18!"

Mojo then set the dial at and directly hit the Powerpuff Girls. "Now scream, scream and cry like the little girls that you are! Scream in pain so I may derive pleasure on seeing and hearing you in torment!"

But he heard no screams.

"Is that all you can do, Mojo?" Blossom suddenly taunted. "After all that hype, I would have expected something more painful than this poor-excuse of a torture device."

"Yeah, Mojo," Buttercup added, "I've seen tweezers that can cause more pain than this."

"Yeah, it's like your giving us a suntan!" Bubbles said.

"If you want us to scream, maybe you could get Michael Jackson to come here!" Blossom added. 'What Mojo doesn't know is that we've beaten Hardcore x 6, or about level 72 to be exact.'

Mojo was flabbergasted. 'How could that be. Last time, Bubbles nearly snapped at 12. How strong are those girls.'

"Don't be boastful. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Now take this!" He then increased the level of the laser to 24.

Blossom just yawned.

"Come on Mojo, we're bored here, just sitting around here, tied up!" Buttercup teased. "Give us something that would at least tickle us!"

"What! How could that be! I increased the level to 24, or twice that of hardcore! How could you say that! How could you not be hurt!" Mojo was ready to pull his hair out. 'Dang it, and I thought 24 would kill them.' He was one frustrated monkey.

"Grrr. Enough playing games. Let's see if you take the laser at maximum, at hardcore x3, or level 36. He then put the dial at 36, and the amount of laser increase.

"Wow! It sure did tickle us!" Bubbles taunted.

"Yup! Any more and I'd have my tan," Buttercup added.

"This feels like being in a disco spotlight," Blossom commented.

Mojo was wide-mouthed. He couldn't just believe this. He then increased the power surge, trying to make it stronger to at least hurt the Powerpuff Girls. 'I know I shouldn't put it at 40, because it might overload, but what the heck.'

He pushed the dial at 40, but it had no effect. The Powerpuff Girls just taunted him more. Soon, there appeared on the controls a warning. 'POWER OVERDRIVE: PUSH LEVEL BACK TO 36'. But Mojo was so frustrated, grinding his teeth in anguish, that he didn't even bother to look at the warning and pushed the dial to 42.

'OVERDRIVE! POWER OVERDRIVE! SHUT DOWN DEVICE NOW!' soon appeared, but Mojo seemed not to notice. Soon, smoke began appearing on the machine, and in a few seconds, it exploded. The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed part of the roof of Mojo's observatory. Soon, Mojo, covered in black soot, his entire body aching, but not quite dead, fell to the floor.

"Curses!" he said, as he picked himself up.

"Wow, I didn't know that your torture device tortures those who use it, not on those whom it's supposed to be used on!" Blossom teased.

"Yeah Mojo," Buttercup said. "Face it! We're invincible! So let us go and we promise we won't beat you up before throwing you to jail!"

The entire room was damaged. The girls, as usual, don't have a single scratch on their bodies.

Mojo picked himself up, picked the girls, and placed them in a couch in an adjacent room. He went to another room and soon cleaned himself, bandaging any wounds he had. 'Oh, my aching body!' Soon, he heard the laughter of the girls in the next room.

"Shut up!" he shouted.

But the laughter only increased. Mojo was by this time extremely aggravated. He had the girls right where he wanted them—in his hideout, helpless and without a chance to escape, but he was unable dispose of them, or to even inflict physical pain. He was like a man who was given a chest full of treasure, but try as he might, he could not open it or destroy the padlock. He had the girls right where he wanted them, but he couldn't do anything to hurt them. In fact, he hurt himself in the process.

"Damn those Powerpuff girls! Even as helpless captives they managed to hurt me! Just how powerful are they!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Boys!" Dr. Edwards shouted from the living room, in a very serious tone. "Brick, Boomer, Butch, come down here!"

Ten seconds later, his boys went down, standing up and lined up like recruits readying for inspection.

"Yes Dad! What is it? A monster, a criminal, a villain?" asked Boomer. "We'll take care of it."

"Do you want us to do some chores?" asked Brick in a less enthusiastic tone.

"Or are we going somewhere?" asked Butch.

"Well, all of those partly," said Dr. Edwards in a very serious tone. "You see, Mojo Jojo…"

"But Dad, let the Powerpuff Girls take care of them!" Boomer said.

"Yeah, we told Mojo we won't bother him unless he touches you or your property. Is he destroying your property?"

"No, I don't have any properties at stake here. Now, the Powerpuff Girls can't do anything, because they are the victims. Mojo seemed to have kidnapped them and held them captive. Here, read the letter."

The boys, except Butch, seemed positively shocked.

"But Dad, he must be lying. I mean those girls are nearly as strong as us, how could Mojo have kidnapped them?" Brick reasoned, remembering the last two fights they had.

"I don't know, but I know this, they have the girls and here's proof," Dr. Edwards said, showing the boys a picture of the tied-up unconscious Powerpuff Girls.

"Well I'll be!" Butch explained. "Those sissies sure got their just desserts."

Dr. Edwards, and even Boomer and Brick were shocked at Butch's callous words.

"Butch, I want you to take it back!" Dr. Edwards said, breathing heavily. "I don't care how you feel about them, but say another of those things in front of me and you'll get a worst punishment than you deserve." He was very angry at Butch's reaction.

Butch suddenly realized what he said and backed down. "Sorry Dad. I didn't mean what I said."

"Now, I want you to go to Mojo's lab and save those girls!" Dr. Edwards ordered.

His boys didn't move.

"Is my order not clear?" Dr. Edwards. "I told you to go at Mojo's volcano top observatory at the middle of Townville Park and rescue those girls! ARE YOU BOYS DEAF!"

"No Dad, we aren't," Boomer meekly replied.

"Then do it," Dr. Edwards thundered. "If not for those girls, then do it for me, your father!"

"We can't!" Butch said, completely terrified of his father. "No matter how much we want follow what you say, we just can't!"

"And why not?" asked the infuriated doctor.

"Because…because…" but Boomer stumbled.

"Because we have still some loyalty for Mojo," Brick continued for his tongue-tied brother, his voice so low that Dr. Edwards and his brothers could barely hear it. He then raised his voice a little. "We told Mojo we won't harm if he doesn't harm you or your properties, and since he made his move without doing neither, our hands our tied."

"You forget, boys, that the girls hands are also tied—literally," Dr. Edwards said. "But since you obviously don't care about them, then do it because I ordered it!"

"But Dad, we just can't," Brick said. "I admit, we've changed a lot since you recreated us, but some things still remain with us, and, one of those things Dad, is a tiny bit of loyalty for Mojo."

His father understood, but was also disgusted by it. 'I can't believe that after all that, they would rather choose Mojo over the girls? Well, I'll break that loyalty, even if I have to lose the boys in the process.'

"And how about your loyalty to me?" Dr. Edwards sternly asked. "What if, for example, Mojo gave you an order that contradicts what I told you?"

"Dad, we love you, and our loyalty is always to you and you first. We would never ever follow any order from Mojo, just as we would always do what you want us to do, no matter what. The only exception is hurting Mojo. Unless he hurts you or your property, we can't do anything that would hurt him, even if you order us to," Brick said, his words filled with emotion, and his soul was torn apart by conflicting loyalties.

"WHY YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE WHELPS!" Dr. Edwards shouted, barely able to contain his anger. "I thought I had raised you well enough, and now this happens! How could you be so stupid, idiotic and blind as to still have some loyalty to that moron of a monkey? If anything, those girls more than that Mojo deserve that tiny loyalty you have, and you prefer an evil monkey who repeatedly tried to destroy this poor excuse of a town? It's not enough to say that I'm very disappointed with you brats, but also ashamed of how you acted tonight. Let me remind you boys, that you cannot both serve good and evil, and just tonight, despite what you might think, you unwittingly just served evil. Because of that I am disgusted and sick to my stomach! Your actions are totally unworthy of you, and you should rethink your actions again. Let me know if you changed your mind about this. Goodnight!"

The three boys drifted towards their room, their feelings extremely hurt by their father's extremely harsh words.

Boomer among the three brothers felt the most terrible. He was very grateful to Bubbles because of the way she didn't beat him up during the past week, unlike her sisters, and felt that he must repay her somehow. Blossom, he disliked with a passion because of the Monster Alliance, and he was indifferent to Buttercup. Yet his past loyalty to Mojo was strong, and didn't want to attack their original creator. To Boomer, however badly Mojo treated them before, he was still they're original creator, however much it disgusts him to think about it. Because the only thing that expresses this loyalty is not beating him up unless he harms his father, he felt really terrible.

On one hand, he wants to save Bubbles and Buttercup, on the other hand, he doesn't want to hurt Mojo. Plus the fact that in conflicts with his loyalty to Dr. Edwards makes it even worst.

Brick also felt terrible, though for different reasons. He too, was very grateful to Bubbles because of what happened earlier, and like Boomer, wishes to repay it. He was the only who doesn't dislike Blossom, and he is indifferent to Buttercup. But personal considerations aside, he felt it that it was beneficial for his and his brothers' selfish self-interests to save the girls. He would be perfectly willing to leave the girls to Mojo if it were contrary to his self-interest.

Yet, he also had that loyalty to Mojo that refuses to go away, and which prevents him from outright going and saving the girls. Plus, he very much wants to do everything Dr. Edwards says to show his love and loyalty. Only loyalty to Mojo prevents him from following his Dad's orders to save the girls.

Butch, on the other hand, dislikes each of the girls. He dislikes Blossom with a passion bordering on hatred also because of the Monster Alliance, has only contempt for Bubbles (he was the only one who didn't talk to her during the previous fight), and had only a grudging tolerance for Buttercup, though he does not like her. He couldn't care less what would happen to the girls. Yet he would be perfectly willing to save the girls if ordered by his father or even Brick. Yet like his brothers, he also has loyalty to Mojo for the same reasons, and he felt terrible because he knew he can only follow one of them, and not the other. He intensely disliked Mojo, yet the fact that he was their original 'father' causes him to not hurt him. Like his brothers, loyalty was one of his most prized characteristics, and it tore him apart to choose between the two.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Enough playing games!" Mojo said as he prepared to destroy the Powerpuff Girls. He then took from his arsenal a wide range of weapons, from rockets to guns to howitzers to laser guns to even flintlocks and bow and arrows. The only thing missing is a kitchen sink. "Now all I have to do is find what would kill those girls."

He first grabbed a rocket launcher from the pile. "This should take care of you! This is my most powerful rocket launcher that I have constructed yet! This will reduce you to ashes!" He then launched for rockets at the girls, hitting them one after another. "That should take care of you, hahaha!"

"Oh really?" Buttercup's voice suddenly said. Soon, the smoke lifted, and the girls were still sitting tightly, without a scratch in them.

"How could that be? That was the most powerful rocket that I've ever created. And I've made it especially for you! And you didn't even have a scratch!" Mojo said. "I know, I'll use duranium bullets, but wait a minute, I've used the last of my duranium on those cuffs, and it'll be a month before I could get a new batch! Curses!"

"Give it up Mojo," Bubbles taunted.

"Yeah, Duranium is the only thing that could hurt us, and you obviously run out of it!" Blossom said. "So why don't you just give up and let us go?"

"No I won't," Mojo asserted. "I've still got a wide array of weapons, and one of them has got to work against you!"

So he used all his weapons one by one.

First he used another laser gun.

Then a giant cannon with titanium cannon balls.

Then a howitzer.

Then another laser gun.

Then a high powered shot gun.

Then a machine gun.

Then a bazooka.

Then a flamethrower

Needless to say, all did not work. Not a single scratch on the girls. And he just got taunted more. And the fact that some of those weapons exploded due to overloading while he was using it didn't help either.

He was soon desperate, and it showed.

He used a catapult.

A rusty sword.

A bow and arrow.

A cross bow.

A flintlock musket.

A baseball bat.

A pellet gun.

A heel of a shoe.

A wooden mallet.

A firecracker.

A boomerang.

An old ladies' purse.

A wooden plank.

A plastic chair.

A wooden plank with a nail stretching out.

None worked, yet it nearly killed the girls, not because of the weapons themselves, but because the girls are laughing so hard, rolling hard on the floor, that one might think Mojo was trying to laugh the girls to death. Even if that happened, Mojo might not savor it since he might die from embarrassment first. He was like Coyote whose devices doesn't work on the Roadrunner.

"Oh Mojo, stop, stop, my stomach is hurting!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yeah, don't do more. We might die of laughter," Blossom said

"Yeah! You'd be great on comedy!" said Bubbles between bouts of laughter.

"Hey Mojo, wanna try using Bubbles stuffed bunny. I'm sure it might destroy us!" Buttercup shouted, still laughing.

"You forgot the kitchen sink!" Blossom added.

'That is so lame,' thought Buttercup.

"And those pillows, you forgot those. Maybe they can hurt us," Bubbles shouted, laughing harder.

"How about water guns!" Blossom added.

Mojo Jojo was red from embarrassment once he realized he made a fool of himself by his desperation to get rid of the Powerpuff Girls. 'I must kill them, or Princess won't deliver those bars of gold she promised me. But what could I do? Those girls, even if I hate to admit it, are helpless yet practically invincible. I must think, I must find a way to destroy them, but how. What if I…' Mojo thought, but was interrupted.

"Hey Mojo, if you don't want to let us go, could you do us a favor?" Blossom asked.

"Will you shut up!" Mojo retorted. "How could I think of a way to destroy you if you are so noisy?"

"Aw Mojo, just this once!" Bubbles said.

"Okay, but just this once. What is it?" Mojo said.

"Well, there's something stuck in my eye," Bubbles asked. "Can you get rid of it?"

"Yeah, and while you're at it, there's also something stuck in my eyes," Blossom said.

"Me too!"

"Okay, okay, I'll remove it, whatever it is," Mojo said. He removed each of the shades he put on the girls. "Hey, there isn't anything on your eyes." He then saw the girls grinning evilly at him. "Oh no."

In a flash, the three girls gave him a powerful laser-eye attack., causing him to drop the shades. He was about to pick it up again, but the girls zapped it with another laser.

"Damn it!" Mojo shouted before he again was targeted by laser. Soon, he was covered with soot, smoking, and his entire body was aching. He then run to another room before the girls could take another aim at him with their laser eyes.

"Oh Mojo, come out come out wherever you are?" he head Blossom said.

"This is humiliating! Being stalked in your very own house by your own 'helpless' captives! And being tricked into removing the shades that prevents them from using their laser eyes! How stupid and gullible could I get? I must find another of those shades and put them in their eyes? But how? I already used the last of Princess sleeping gas. But first, I've got to find another set of eyewear. I can't go into that room with their eyes free. It's too risky."

Soon, Mojo was scrounging around his room looking for anything that might restrain those naughty laser eyes. Soon, he found what he was looking for. "Ah ha! With this thing, those laser eyes would be totally ineffective!" he said, looking at a pair of goggles with an elastic strap.

"Now the problem is how do I get it to wear them. I'll just have to risk it." He then put the three pairs of goggles in a secure pocket, and entered the room where the Powerpuff Girls are, pushing before him a wheeled sofa as a shield. The girls quickly zapped the chair, but he managed to jump behind another sofa, which a minute later was burnt to a crisp. He then jumped behind the TV, then behind the drawers, then behind a table, each time getting nearer and nearer to the girls, but in the process, most of his furniture was destroyed. He soon reached the girls, and after a struggle, was able to strap the goggles in the girls' eyes again.

"Ha! Now you are again helpless!" Mojo boasted.

"Not quite," said Blossom.

"What do you mean 'not quite,'. You're bound hand and foot. You can't fly. And you can't use your laser eyes! You can't anymore hurt me!"

"That's what you think," Bubbles retorted.

"And how can you hurt me?" asked Mojo in a mocking tone.

"Well, I could do this," Blossom said, then blew at Mojo.

Soon, Mojo was covered in a block of ice. "It's called, Ice Breathe!'"

"And I can do this!" Bubbles said, then opened her mouth, and screamed. Soon, the ice around Mojo was cracked and the frozen Mojo, along with the remaining furniture in the room, plus the roof, was thrown out because of the shockwave of it. As soon as it was over, Bubbles said, "and that, is the sonic voice!"

Mojo landed in the middle of Townsville Park. He was still frozen, and he was shivering. He can hear the girls laughing at his volcano top observatory. "C-c-c-c-curs-s-s-ses, y-y-y-yooouuu Po-po-po-po-powep-p-p-p-uff G-g-g-g-g-irls! I-I-I-I-I-I'll g-g-g-g-get y-y-y-y-y-you for th-th-this!" he said while shivering and doing a pathetic attempt to shake his fist at his observatory. 'This is humiliating!' Mojo thought. 'Being thrown out of your own house by someone who is supposed to be helpless.'

After about thirty minutes, he reached the top of his volcano top observatory, still shivering. He went to the shower, and put the dial on the hottest temperature, and had a nice, hot, bath.

* * *

Thirty minutes later…

Mojo was finally done. He went to his room, and changed to a fresh suit of clothes. He then went and took some handkerchiefs and socks from his locker. After that, he grabbed a roll of duct tape. 'This should take care of those girls,' he evilly thought.

He then went to find the girls. They weren't in the original room, which by now was empty of anything but soot. 'Where are the girls?' His question was answered when he went to his other undamaged living room, where he saw the girls seated in the sofa watching TV, with the remote on the floor and with Blossom's feet gently hitting the buttons to change the channel or something.

Mojo was amazed. "How could you come from that room and go here and watch TV even thought you've supposed to be unable to move because you're still bound hand and foot?"

"Oh silly Mojo, we got bored waiting for you to come back up, so when we saw the door open, we decided to hop to it. And voila, we saw the couch, the TV and the remote, and we decided to watch. Now could you get some popcorn and feed us!" Blossom said.

"What! I wouldn't do such a thing!" Mojo said.

"Oh please, do you want to be frozen again?" Blossom arrogantly said.

"Not if I can't help it!" Mojo said. Then, quick as a flash, he stuffed a large wad of handkerchief in Blossom's mouth and covered it with duct tape. Bubbles was about to use her sonic voice but as soon as she opened her mouth wide open, Mojo put a roll of clean socks in her mouth and duct taped it.

"Now, you're truly helpless!" Mojo said, laughing. "You can't use your ice breathe, Blossom, or your sonic voice, Bubbles, gagged!"

Blossom and Bubbles tried to say something, but it just came out as mmmppphhhhssss behind their new gags.

"Yeah, but you still couldn't harm us!" Buttercup boasted.

"Physically, yes, but with my new plan, you will die," Mojo said.

The girls looked at him skeptically.

"You still don't believe me," Mojo said. "Well, I plan not to feed you until you die of hunger! That's right, I plan to starve you, Muhahahahaha!"

Blossom and Bubbles just rolled their eyes. 'By that time that happens, someone would notice we were gone and would rescue us,' Bubbles thought.

"That is so lame!" Buttercup said.

"Oh really," Mojo said. "Well, you can't do anything about it! Now, it's time for your gag, Buttercup!"

"Hey, I don't have any powers from my mouth, like my sisters. So you don't have to gag me like my loud mouth sisters over there."

Bubbles and Blossom just glared at their sister.

"You're right, I don't have to," Mojo said, "but I like to!" Mojo then stuffed a smelly old used sock in Buttercup's mouth and duct taped it. He then took the girls, and placed them in another room, and he himself watched TV. "What a day, but at least I have won!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"I feel really bad for those girls," said Boomer. "And I felt bad for Dad too. He was counting on us, and we let him down."

"Yeah, you're right," Brick said. "He did all those nice things for us, and all he asked in return is that we be loyal to him and we make him proud of us, but what did we do? We made him doubt our loyalty! We made him ashamed of us!"

"This is the pits," Boomer remarked. "And we can't even show our gratitude to Bubbles! Remember Brick?"

"Yup, she was the only one who didn't beat us up that night!" Brick replied. "And what is so maddening is that it would've been in our own self-interest to save them because one, we can make Dad even more proud of us, two, they'll owe us one and we'll have a bargaining advantage with the girls, and that meant that I'll have one more reason why I should be the leader, three, it would be good for our reputations, four, we would be better off with those girls around than them having been gone. And all of that gone because Mojo happens to be the culprit. Now don't get me wrong, I don't like the girls one bit, but…"

"Yes, we know. Personal and emotional considerations aside, it would be in our self-interests…" Boomer began.

"…if we would try and save them," Butch finished. "Yeah, we know that. You've been saying that line for a million years. Well, I don't give a damn about interests. You're the one who figures it out. I don't like the girls one bit and I don't care what happens to them, but I don't like defying Dad. I can live with saving them as long as Dad says so. But I agree Brick, it's maddening. You want to prove to Dad how loyal you are, yet, a tiny loyalty to Mojo prevents us from doing so. What a bummer!"

"Dad, where are you going?" asked Brick as he saw Dr. Edwards pass by the open door of their room. Dr. Edwards was fully dressed in his usual clothes. Brown pants, coat, and vest, with a fedora hat. He is carrying a sawed off shot gun and has a .45 pistol in his pocket.

"Where else? To Mojo's volcano top laboratory, to rescue the girls," said the doctor.

"But Dad, you'll get killed!" said Brick.

"Well, I'll have to take that risk, since certain sons of mine who could have easily done the job without a sweat refused to," Dr. Edwards sharply said.

"Dad, let us go with you. We'll protect you from Mojo," offered Butch.

"Yeah, you can save the girls while we make sure Mojo won't touch a hair of you. That way, you can save the girls, while we can protect you. I'm sure Mojo won't lay a hand on you once he sees us behind you," Boomer said.

"That' s a great idea!" said Brick. "That way, we technically won't attack Mojo."

"Sorry, I'll go alone," Dr. Edwards coldly said. "I'll go, and God-willing, , I'll return safe in two or three hours. I can't depend on you if you still have some loyalty to Mojo Jojo. What if you suddenly turn on us—me and the girls—because of your remaining loyalty to Mojo Jojo? I'll take the risk of being killed over the risk of being betrayed. Sorry, you can't have it both ways. You should either choose to be loyal to Mojo, or me, but not both."

With that, he went out the house and into the car and drove towards Mojo Jojo's volcano top observatory.

He was very angry towards the boys, yet was also guilty about the words he used. "I'm very sorry, but it's necessary to say those words. I need to break the loyalty of those boys from Mojo, and if hurting their feelings is what it takes, then that's what I'm going to do, and that is what I've done. I'm very sorry, boys, but I have no regrets about what I've said if it breaks Mojo's psychological hold on them."

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Damn it, we've got to go and help Dad!" Boomer said to his brothers. "He'll get himself killed."

"I've got to hand it to Dad, he's got guts going over Mojo's place alone," Brick added.

"But he said that we shouldn't go after him," Butch argued. "I don't want Dad to be mad at us again! I don't want Dad to say those words again to us!"

"But we can't just leave Dad alone out there!" Boomer said. "Who knows what Mojo would do to Dad. We have a responsibility to protect Dad, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything bad happens to Dad!"

"I agree. But Dad said not to go after him," Butch argued. "What if he gets angrier with us?"

"Can't you see, Butch?" Brick said. "Dad's testing our loyalty. If we don't go and help him out, we'll confirm his suspicions about us being too loyal to Mojo to actually help him in time of need. I don't care about those girls, but I care about what Dad thinks of us. If he gets angry, then I'll take the blame because I, after all, am the leader. So Butch, Boomer, you are going to follow me in following Dad," he added, with a very curt but unmistakably clear tone, "whether you like it, or not!"

"Alright, I'm going along with this, but it's your fault if Dad gets mad with us!" Butch retorted. "All right, fearless leader, what would you want us to do?"

"Thanks Brick," said Boomer.

"No problem, Boomer," Brick replied. "Now let's go and find Dad."

* * *

Meanwhile…

Dr. Edwards stepped out of his car just below the volcano top observatory.

'Well, I guess I know how Eliot Ness felt before he took on Al Capone,' Dr. Edwards thought. 'Now, I'll just have to wait for my backup. And here they are, and none too soon. I just hope all of this squabbling didn't make it too late! Or Professor Utonium would kill me—literally!'

As expected, the boys soon arrived.

"Dad, I know you told us not to go after you, but please don't be mad at us. We just want you to not get hurt."

"Of course not," Dr. Edwards said. "I knew you would come to your senses. Still, I'm terribly disappointed that I have to do this, but I just want you to know I never doubted that you will come here. Now, let's go. We still have some girls to save."

So the quartet went up the volcano top observatory, Brick giving Butch an 'I told you so' look.

Dr. Edwards knocked on the door.

"I'm coming," they heard Mojo speak.

"Just who are you and what do you want?" Mojo said rudely.

He hasn't yet met Dr. Edwards.

"My name is Dr. Edwards, and I came here to rescue the Powerpuff Girls."

"Dr. Edwards?" said Mojo. "You rescue the Powerpuff Girls? You, who has no super powers, no weapons?"

"I've got a gun," Dr. Edwards said, showing his sawed off shot gun and his .45 pistol.

"A gun, that's a good one," Mojo Jojo said, and started laughing.

"And, I've got my three sons. Have you met them?" Dr. Edwards said.

"What's up, Pops," Brick said, sporting his famous smirk. "Do anything to Dad and we'll make you pay-big time!"

"Now, where are those girls?" Dr. Edwards asked.

Mojo was caught in a bind. He is caught between Dr. Edwards getting back the girls and the Rowdyruff Boys watching his every move and waiting to pounce the minute he makes one false move against their father.

"There," Mojo said, pointing to a padlocked door.

"Give me the key?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"I don't have them," Mojo grumbled as his plans to starve the girls to death crumbled in the dust. 'I shouldn't have written that letter!'

"Butch, would you?" Dr. Edwards asked.

"No problem," Butch said as he easily destroyed the padlock.

Dr. Edwards opened the door, and saw the girls all trussed up-watching TV.

"Girls," he shouted. "Are you all right?"

The girls turned and saw him and his three sons.

"Mmmpphhh!" they yelled at their gags.

"Oh, let me remove that," Dr. Edwards said. He carefully removed the duct tape from their mouths.

Buttercup spat the dirty sock from her mouth. "What took you so long! That sock nearly made me puke!"

Blossom and Bubbles also spit the handkerchief and the sock respectively from their mouths.

"Thank you Doctor, and thanks boys," Bubbles said.

"Yeah, we thought you'd never arrive, but thanks anyway. By the way, what took you so long?" asked Blossom.

"Well, Mojo wrote a letter telling us that he got you, and unfortunately, it got a little late in coming," Dr. Edwards said. "Girls, I'm very sorry if we were late."

"That's alright. Mojo didn't give us much trouble. Thanks Dr. Edwards, and thanks Brick, Boomer and Butch."

"Don't thank us, it was Dad's idea," Brick coldly said, though he was pleased.

"Yeah, don't thank us," Boomer said, but in a sadder tone. But inside, he was delighted.

"Yeah, you would have rot—" Butch began, but stopped as his father, Brick and Boomer glared at him.

"Now, turn over and let me remove those cuffs," said Edwards. "Where's the keys to these?"

"Ha, ha, I've destroyed it long ago!" Mojo said. "Those cuffs are unremovable, and you cannot remove it from them! And another reason is that it is unremovable is that it is unbreakable, being made from the hardest metal on the planet, Duranium! And don't remove that belt on their waist that I have placed because oops, I meant just leave them on, it looks good on them."

"Duranium, oh I don't think so," said Dr. Edwards. "I have something in my lab which could cut it. And you mean this belt? Let's see what happens." He removed the belts.

"Now, do you feel anything different?" asked the Doctor.

"Well, I don't think so," said Buttercup.

"Hey I can fly again!" Bubbles said, as she floated in the air.

"So these are the things that kept us from flying," Blossom said. "Whew. For a minute there, I thought that there was something in that sleeping gas that disabled our flying ability."

Bubbles then floated to Dr. Edwards eye level, and pecked him in the cheek. She then and did the same to Boomer and Brick, though Butch refused to let her do so to him. Boomer blushed, and it showed, Brick didn't show any emotion. Blossom also pecked Dr. Edwards on the cheek, though she refused to do the same to the boys, just saying a warm, "Thank you."

"Brick, take this," Dr. Edwards said, handing over the belts to his son. "Now, let's go home to my lab so I can cut those duranium cuffs."

Mojo looked at the entire scene in disgust. 'This isn't fair! Why can't I win! I mean I have those girls under my clutches, yet they still managed to get away from me. Why can't I win. I know, it's that Dr. Edwards fault. Without him, those boys would still be at my command! Without him, those girls should be mine. He must pay!'

Then, in an act of supreme irrationality and desperation, he grabbed a laser gun and aimed it at the back of Dr. Edwards.

"Dad, look out!" Boomer shouted, and he run and tried to stop Mojo. He was able to block the laser beam, and Dr. Edwards and Boomer was relatively unharmed.

For the boys, it was the last straw! Mojo did something unforgivable. Creator or not, he is going to pay—he attacked their father and they're mad as hell.

The attack snapped something inside the boys as they all looked at Mojo in pure hatred.

"YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SLIME!" Brick shouted as he began the most fearsome pounding he ever gave anybody. "After how you treated us, we still gave you some ounce of loyalty, and this is how you repay us?"

"You just signed your death warrant, Mojo!" Boomer shouted as he kicked, punched and laser-eyed Mojo. "I mean, we tried not our best not to attack you, and you tried to kill our Dad! As of today I am ashamed that you are my original creator."

"You Scum, you murderer, you monkey you! You just did us a favor and shown how undeserving you are of our loyalty!" Butch shouted as he spat on his original creator.

"Yes. You did us a favor," Brick said. "Because of this, we saw how blind we really are in following you. Hear this Mojo, form this day on forward, you won't get an ounce of loyalty from us. Any time you make some mistake, we'll go after you and we won't hesitate to beat you up! And if Dad tells us to beat you up for no apparent reason, we would gladly do it! That is, if you escape alive. Tell me, Pops, tell me why you deserve to live another minute!" Brick then squeezed Mojo's neck.

"What? I can't hear you!"

"Brick, don't kill him!" Bubbles suddenly said.

"Why shouldn't he?" Boomer asked. "He tried to kill Dad!"

"Because you'll be just as worst as him if you do," Blossom answered.

"I'll take that risk," Brick replied. "This piece of shit does not deserve to see another day!"

"Dr. Edwards, do something, or they'll kill Mojo!" Blossom said, in near panic, not knowing what to do.

"Boys—stop that! That's enough!" Dr. Edwards said.

"But Dad, he tried to kill you!" said Boomer.

"Yes he did, and you've punished him enough! Do you want to be like him? Well stop it, because it's not worthy of you!"

The boys stopped dead in their tracks. Those last words really get to them. They were still breathing heavily, looking at Mojo, but then they looked at their father, but quickly avoided looking at him. They were too ashamed to.

The boys looked at the floor. Soon, tears began falling from their eyes.

The girls were shocked. It was the very first time they ever saw the proud boys in tears, and most probably the last.

"We're sorry Dad," Brick said while sobbing. "We're very sorry. We should have been the one here, risking our necks, and you should have been safe at home. We nearly lost you Dad, because of our blindness! We should have made sure you're always safe, yet we allowed you to risk yourself because of our blind loyalty to Mojo. We should've known better."

Dr. Edwards soon went to where the boys are, and Brick soon cried and cried like the six-year-old boy he was on his father's shoulders.

"Yeah Dad," Butch said, crying even more intensely on his father shoulder. "We felt terrible. It shouldn't have been a choice. We should've did what you told us in the first place! You shouldn't be here at all risking your life! Because we could have perfectly done so."

"Yeah Dad, it was our fault you nearly got killed. It was so close. What if I hadn't been able to block it?" Boomer said between sobs. "We nearly failed to do our most basic of duties—to protect you. You should've been home, Dad, waiting for us to return with the girls, safe and sound, and not here! We did a very terrible thing, Dad. We risked you because of a loyalty to someone who doesn't deserve it."

"And Dad, we deserve each and every one of those harsh words you gave us," Brick said. "We were hurt by it when you told it to us, but we realized just how willing you are to risk your neck out here, and how cowardly we had acted, and how you were nearly killed. We're sorry you had to say those words to us, and we're very sorry. We just want you to be proud of us, to say with pride to other people that we are your sons!"

"Now, now, boys," Dr. Edwards soothingly said. "That's over. The important thing is that you've learned your lesson. Now, I don't want you to repeat this ever again. Even though I'm not proud of what you've done, I'm still proud of you, because you were man enough to admit it."

The girls just watched the emotional scene. Bubbles wanted to go and comfort the boys, but Blossom said no.

"They just have to work out these among themselves," she said. But all three, even Buttercup, was touched by the scene. Buttercup's opinion of the boys improved.

After about fifteen minutes later, the boys wiped their tears. Brick saw the girls. "You won't say this thing happened to another soul, got it?" Brick said.

"I understand. It'll be our secret, right girls?" Blossom replied.

"Good. Now I won't have to force you to keep it a secret," said Brick arrogantly.

"Now boys, let's go home. Girls, come on. We still have got to remove those cuffs on your hands and feet!" Dr. Edwards said. 'At least I've succeeded. Those boys have cast away their loyalty to Mojo. Now it would be easier to teach them to reject the values installed in them by Mojo when they were still evil, and they could now become nice, young boys.'

"Oh yeah," Bubbles said. "I completely forgot we were still tied up with duranium cuffs!"

"Yeah, and we still have to spend the weekend with those boys. So Red, is your plan to force them into an alliance still game?" Buttercup asked.

"Yup! As soon as we get out of these cuffs, our plan shall commence and before the weekend is over, those boys will be our allies with me as leader," Blossom cockily asserted.

So Dr. Edwards and the six kids went home.


	5. The Challenge

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 5 - The Challenge**

The City of Townsville, and the six superchildren and Dr. Edwards arrived safely at their home.

"Now let's see," Dr. Edwards said as he put his coat on the rack. "It's late, and I think it's better to order pizza than to cook. What do you think?"

"Works for me!" Brick replied.

"Okay, girls, what are your orders?"

"Well, I think the largest pizza with everything on it will do," Blossom answered.

"How many boxes for each of you?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Only one, silly," said Bubbles. "For the three of us!"

The Rowdyruff Boys and their father just stared at the girls.

"Are you sure that's enough?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Of course! What, you think we can't finish it?" Buttercup asked defensively.

"No, not at all," said Brick.

"Well, if they want to starve, it's not our problem," Butch replied.

"Alright boys, what'll be yours?" Dr. Edwards asked.

"Well, I'll have 15 boxes of the largest family sized pizza with everything on it!" Butch said.

"I'll have 15 also," Boomer said.

"Eight will do," Brick added.

"Well, counting the three that I'll order for myself and the one for the Powerpuff Girls, that would be 42 boxes of family sized pizza," Dr. Edwards said as he dialled the pizza place's number.

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup just stared wide-eyed at the boys.

"Are you guys serious? You couldn't eat that much!" Buttercup said.

"Yeah! It's biologically impossible!" Blossom added.

"Wanna bet?" Brick replied. "Twenty dollars says that we could eat it all!"

"Just to warn you, Buttercup," Dr. Edwards said, "you'll lose that bet if you accept. I've seen my boys eat much more than that, you know."

"Um, never mind," Buttercup said. "I don't have twenty dollars anyway."

"Aw Dad, do you have to ruin it!" Butch whined.

"And couldn't you afford it! I mean 42 boxes of pizza is too expensive!" Bubbles added.

"Well, I'm not Townsville's richest man for nothing, you know," Dr. Edwards replied. "Now, I'll be going to the lab to prepare the equipment to cut those cuffs. After dinner, we'll all go to the lab and we'll cut it off. I hope you don't mind the long wait girls. These things can't be rushed you know."

"Why not?" asked Buttercup.

"'Cause I'd have to take my time or I might accidentally cut your arm off," said the doctor. "I'm sorry, but there is no other way."

"It's okay Doctor," said Bubbles.

"Yeah I guess!" Blossom said, while thinking, 'Just great! We're going to remain tied up for the next hour or so with those boys!'

The doctor then ordered the 42 boxes of pizza.

"Well, I'm going to the lab to prepare the equipment," says the lab. "It shouldn't take too long. But call me when the pizza arrives. I'm famished. Boys, entertain the girls while I'm down at the lab. And remember, be nice to them!"

"Yeah, be nice to us!" Blossom added.

"Shut up," Butch said to Blossom.

"Yes Dad," the three then said to their father.

So Dr. Edwards went to his lab.

The three boys and the three girls were left at the living room.

"Boys, I want to again say thanks for rescuing us," said Blossom.

"Yeah, Mojo said that you wouldn't go and save us, but I didn't believe them, and I was right!" Bubbles said. "And I know you three care!"

Boomer looked down at the floor, unable to look Bubbles in the eye.

Butch was about to guffaw, but Brick glared and he stifled it. 'Ha, us caring? That's a good one,' he callously thought.

Brick just stared at the girls, before replying. "Look, you might as well know that we didn't do it because we cared for you, but because we cared for Dad. And even if we wanted, we wouldn't have if it wasn't for my Dad. So all your gratitude for us is misplaced. Give it to Dad. He deserves it. We don't!"

"Yeah, but you still went with your Dad to save us, and that is good enough for me," Bubbles proclaimed. "You deserve our thanks, and nothing you tell me would change that."

"Ughh, you girls are impossible!" Boomer suddenly shouted. "We clearly said that we don't want your thanks, and we don't deserve it. None of us cares for you, can't you see that?"

"You're deluding yourselves," Blossom curtly replied. "You're improving for the better, and you refused to admit it! Tell me, if it was Him, Fuzzy Lumpkins, or the Gang Green Gang, and not Mojo, would you have hesitated to save us?"

Brick and Boomer didn't answer. They knew they would save them, even if their Dad wouldn't order it, but for different reasons. Butch, though wouldn't, but probably would just go along with his brothers.

"I guess so," Blossom said, switching into preacher, holier than thou mode. "You see, the fact that you refuse to admit the obvious shows that you're not ready to be prime-time superheroes. Yes, you're strong, fast, and very cooperative, but you're inexperienced. You don't know how to handle the public which adores you. We do. That is why it is important for you to have an alliance with us—with me as a leader! Because you Brick, doesn't know a thing about leading a team of superheroes in public relations and morality, while your tactical and strategic skills I also have, so it's clear that I am better qualified to lead an alliance than you, Brick."

Boomer and Butch were irritated by Blossom's declaration, and it caused not a few grinding of teeth. However, Brick's scowl suddenly became a smirk bordering on grinning.

'Nice one Blossom,' thought Brick. "I don't want to burst your bubble, Blossom, but you can't just make demands on us. You see, there's a little of something called leverage, and as of right now, we hold all of the trump cards. I know that you know that without this alliance, you're going to just fade away, so you need it, but we can have the pleasure of going on without you. So, you are in no position to make demands. Instead, I have three proposals, which you can take."

"First," Brick said, "you can be full allies of us, and get every privilege it entails, but you have to accept me as the leader with full authority over each and every one of you in matters relating to saving the day."

"Second, we can divide responsibility. We'll take care of all the monsters and villains, including Mojo, while you take care of criminals and help the people of Townsville in their petty problems. And I'll tell Dad to relay those kinds of calls to you instead of us. And best of all, we won't have to cross paths ever again, as we can avoid each other, and we can ignore each other's existence."

"And third, no alliance whatsoever, and we'll continue the status quo," Brick concluded. "So what'll it be?"

Brick smiled. He knew he caught the girls in a quandary. One way or another, he'll get what he wants from them. 'They have no other choice than to accept the first or second one, or face irrelevancy, which wouldn't be too bad for us.'

Blossom and the girls were stunned by Brick's propositions. "Um, could we talk about it for a minute or so?"

"Of course," said Brick. "Take all the time you want. Me and my brothers have some unfinished business to take care of!"

So they left the girls to talk among themselves and settled down on the nearby couch and watched TV.

"Well, I don't like the last two," Bubbles said. "How about the first, where we could always be close to them with Brick as leader?"

"No way!" Blossom declared. "The first option is definitely out! As for the second option…"

"That's out!" Said Buttercup. "They just wanted all the glory for themselves. I don't want to just all do the drudgery of crime-fighting and helping the people. There's no glory in that 'cause the police could do it. I want to fight monsters and villains! So it's out, out, out! I'd rather choose the third option. We don't need an alliance!"

"And I don't want for us to be separate. I'd like us to be working together, and then, slowly becomes friends with them," said Bubbles.

Before Blossom could make a decision, Dr. Edwards came. "Girls, good news. I have the device ready in the lab," said Dr. Edwards. Then the door bell rang. "It must be the pizza delivery! Brick, could you…"

"I'm on it, Dad," Brick said. He then went and opened the door.

Pizza men delivered all 42 boxes of pizza. Brick, Boomer and Butch drooled at the sight of the boxes of pizza, as its smell penetrated their noses and further excited their empty stomachs.

The Rowdyruff Boys, under the direction of their father, neatly placed the boxes of pizza at the table. The boys then took their orders and chose a chair. Boomer and Butch got 15 each, while Brick got 8, while Dr. Edwards got three, while the girls collectively had one.

"Um, Doctor, we have a problem," Buttercup said.

"Oh yes, I get it!" Dr. Edwards said. "Boys, I want you to feed your counterparts."

"But Dad…" the three simultaneously complained.

"Look, the girls' hands are still tied behind their backs," Dr. Edwards said. "And they can't eat because of it. Now, I'll soon be able to cut those cuffs, but I can't do it on an empty stomach, or I might make a mistake. After dinner, I'll cut it, but as for now, I want you to feed them!"

"Yes Dad…" the three simultaneously said.

They grumbled, but they grudgingly complied. Soon, Boomer was feeding Bubbles Pizza, Brick was feeding Blossom, and Butch feeding Buttercup, with the doctor keeping a sharp eye on them.

"Gee, you really are hungry," Boomer said after Bubbles hungrily chomped on her first slice of pizza.

"Well, we haven't eaten anything since this morning. Did you know that Mojo's plan is to starve us to death?" Bubbles said as Boomer got another slice of pizza for Boomer.

"Now why would Pops do something as lame as that?" Boomer wondered.

"Cot ee kent ewtwoy us with zis eap-oons," Bubbles replied.

"Could you say that again, and this time, without food in your mouth?" Boomer asked.

"Aw towwy," Bubbles said before swallowing. "Cause he can't destroy us with his weapons, so he decided to starve us."

"Well I'll be!" Boomer said as he held another pizza for Bubbles to eat.

"So, you decided which of my three proposals are you going to accept," Brick asked Blossom as he got a slice for his counterpart.

Unlike Bubbles, Blossom first chewed and swallowed her food before answering. "I think it's unfair!"

"Yes it is, but you can't do anything about it," Brick coldly said. "One way or another, you'll accept one of those three proposals, because you've got no choice." He then let Blossom bite another slice.

After Blossom chewed and swallowed it, "Not really. You'll see. Before this weekend is over, your first proposal will be in effect, with the exception of that instead of you, I will be the leader." She then took another bite.

"You're delusional," said Brick, then waited for Blossom to chew and finish her pizza.

Blossom looked and smiled at Brick. "You'll just have to wait and see! And if I were you, I'll watch my back! One more slice please," Blossom asked, which Brick gave her.

'She's up to something, I know it!' Brick thought, a little worried, as he readies another slice. 'I know that look. I have the very same one if I'm up to something!'

"Eat some if you don't wanna starve," Butch said as he offered Buttercup a slice. His face wore a scowl.

Buttercup, despite being peeved about the recent events, clearly enjoyed Butch's discomfort. "And I thought you don't like us!" she teased before biting the pizza.

"Shut up and eat, you…" but his father glared at him, and he stopped.

Suffice to say, Butch and Buttercup didn't speak to each other the rest of the dinner, though Butch certainly grumbled and Buttercup made mocking faces at him, all the while eating the pizza Butch was forced to feed her.

Soon after, the girls were full, and the boys commenced with their eating.

The girls just stared wide-eyed at the three boys. They could not believe the sight before their eyes.

The boys were like vacuum cleaners in eating slice after slice of pizza, from box after box after box. Of course, the three didn't eat the same way. Brick was the most polite, and most clean, even though he eats just as fast as his brothers. He placed the empty boxes neatly in one pile, and there were few, if any crumbs in his side of the table. He then carefully wiped his mouth. Since he only ate eight boxes, he finished first.

"How could they eat so much?" asked Blossom to herself aloud.

"You mean you don't know yet?" asked Dr. Edwards as he finished eating his last slice.

"What?"

"Well, apparently, the chemical X caused the metabolism of your bodies to go overtime which immediately turns it into energy, which means that though you could eat normally and not go hungry, you would only have the normal energy input of a average man. However, if you ate as much as my sons are doing right now, you could have almost unlimited energy for the day, and only needed two to three hours sleep per day."

"You mean you get to be hyperactive all day for only two hours of sleep if you eat as much?" asked Bubbles.

"It means that you don't feel tired or fatigued the entire day if you only got two hours of sleep the previous night. And all you have to do is eat as much as you possibly could, and you won't have to worry about getting sleep," Dr. Edwards opined. "Though I'm not sure about you. Have you ever tried eating as much?"

"No. We're usually full by the time we finished our meal for more. Remember that candy incident?" Bubbles asked.

"Yeah…we ate all of the candy, and we nearly got sick," Bubbles added.

"Is that so," Dr. Edwards replied. "Well, that throws out my theory off the window! But that doesn't explain why my sons can eat so much and have so much energy after it—wait a minute, did you say candy?"

"Yup!"

"Of course! It's sugar!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the table. "Tell me girls, did you ever get sick on overeating on something without sugar?"

"Well, I don't really know. We haven't tried overeating on eating without sugar," Buttercup replied.

Dr. Edwards got a small notebook from his pocket and excitedly wrote some notes on it.

"Well, I'd never get sick of overeating sweets," Brick, who just finished his eight boxes, said. "Maybe that's because I haven't got much of a sweet tooth. I never eat too many of them!"

"You don't like sweets?" asked Bubbles.

"No. I like one or two a day maybe, but not an entire jar at an entire sitting."

"Let's just wait for your brothers to finish eating," said Dr. Edwards as he cleaned his mess.

* * *

Twenty minutes later…

"That was satisfying," Boomer said as he rubbed his stomach.

"Um, ah, I'm full!" Butch said.

"Boomer, Brick, clean up your mess while the girls, Brick and I go to the lab," Dr. Edwards said.

"Huh, why us?" asked Boomer.

"Because you two made the most mess," Dr. Edwards declared. Indeed, the area around them is full of discarded cartons, spilled sauce and pizza ingredients, and a couple of wasted slices. Plus, their clothes became really dirty, and their faces, especially around their mouth, is full of sauce and other condiments. "And while you're at it, take a bath and get a new set of clothes."

"But what about Brick," complained Butch.

"Well, he is clean and he already taken care of his mess," Dr. Edwards replied. Behind him, Brick stuck out his tongue at his brothers.

"Yes Dad," the two meekly said while glaring at their leader, who made a face at them.

So the two brothers went about cleaning the mess while the five went down to the doctor's lab.

Soon, they entered a room with a large table on it. Dr. Edwards spread a thick blanket over it and put a pillow on it.

"Who wants to go first?" asked the doctor.

"I'll go," volunteered Blossom.

"Okay. Go and lie on your stomach on that table," Dr. Edwards instructed, then got a device in another table. It is a long cylindrical device the size and shape of a remote control, with a long power-cord switched to an outlet to provide power, and a small circular blade made of some unknown metal.

"Do you think that could break the cuffs?" asked Buttercup, worriedly. "I mean it is duranium, and for all our power, we couldn't break it."

"Well, it can," Dr. Edwards began explaining as he began cutting the cuffs in her wrists. "You see, duranium is the hardest known metal known in the world. It is the metallic equivalent to diamond, only much much much harder. I'd explain the molecular properties, but it would probably bore you. Suffice to say, there isn't anything, not even the hardest of diamonds, that even comes close to the toughness of duranium. However, it has been discovered that you could twist and shape duranium like any other metal by heating it to temperatures reaching half a million degrees. That is how they are able to make various things from duranium, like these cuffs."

"Nobody, including I, thought that there was anything that is harder than duranium, that is until a few days ago. Remember the four monsters that attacked the city last time?"

"Um, yeah," Blossom said, her face and expression showing nervousness and discomfort. It was one memory they wouldn't want to be dwelling upon.

"Yeah I remember," Brick said. "This was when we were so 'evil' that we were beating up poor innocent monsters who just happened to pass by Townsville! After which, you became so angry that you beat me and my brothers up because you though me and Mojo have a conspiracy to break the pretty nails of those monsters—and I refuse to admit it!"

"Brick, it's over!" Blossom replied. "We were wrong, and we admitted it, and we apologized for it. So don't bring up a dead horse."

"As I was saying," Dr. Edwards interrupted, "one of those monsters have a very tough metallic hide. You probably know that I bought it for a billion dollars from the city. I have studied it for the past few days, and I haven't even figured what it is, but I've discovered that it is much harder than Duranium. I haven't deciphered the secrets of it, but it hasn't prevented me from making this device. Good for you I just finished it yesterday, or you would have been stuck in those cuffs for a very long time."

The three girls shuddered at the thought.

Twenty minutes later, the cuffs on Blossom's wrists were cut. And for the first time in ten hours, was able to stretch her arms. "That feels good. Ten hours having your hands stuck behind your back sure makes you appreciate the use of your arms!" Blossom commented.

Dr. Edwards then proceeded to cut off the cuffs on her ankles. Twenty minutes later, Blossom was completely free. She was floating in the air, making practice kicks and repeatedly rotating her arms.

"Who's next?" asked the doctor.

"Me, me!" Buttercup said excitedly.

"Okay, Buttercup, lie down on your stomach," he instructed.

She did, and forty minutes later, Buttercup was free.

"Okay, it's your turn Bubbles," said the doctor.

"Hey, where's Butch and Boomer?" asked Buttercup.

"I think they're upstairs," Brick replied as he watched Bubbles lie down on the table. His father began cutting the cuffs.

"Um, Doctor, Buttercup and I have to go to the bathroom," Blossom asked.

"Okay," the doctor said without really paying attention. He is much too busy with Bubbles' cuffs.

So Buttercup and Blossom left the lab.

"Now, where could those two have gone?" asked Blossom.

"Let's go to the living room. I bet they're watching TV," Buttercup suggested.

And soon enough, they found Butch and Boomer in the couch watching TV.

"Hey guys!" Blossom greeted.

"Huh, what the… oh it's you?" Boomer said with a hostile tone. "What do you want and why aren't you down in the lab with Dad, Brick and Bubbles?"

"Well, we decided to find where you two are, since you should be down there in the lab with your father," Blossom retorted. "Anyway, I came here to issue a challenge!"

"I think you should talk to Brick f…." Boomer began but was interrupted.

"What kind of challenge," Butch asked, interested.

"Simple. I challenge you three boys to a fight tomorrow morning, and if you lose, you will have to join us in an alliance with me as leader!"

"That's silly!" Boomer said. "I think you should…"

"Why, you're scared of being beaten by a girl?" Buttercup teased.

"No, it's just, why should we…"

"Coward!" Blossom teased, baiting the two brothers. "If you don't want me to be your leader, all you have to do is beat us! Why, you're afraid, aren't you? Tsk, tsk. And I thought you boys were very brave! And you can't even accept a measly challenge from a girl!"

"And what do we get if we win?" asked Butch.

"Simple. We get to choose from Brick's three proposals," Blossom declared.

"What, that's highway robbery!" Boomer protested.

"Not really," Blossom retorted. "That is what you wanted, and you could have it if you beat us. That is, if you could actually touch a single hair for us!"

"Why you!" Butch said, gritting his teeth.

"Why, are you afraid?" Buttercup teased. "Afraid that a mere Powerpuff Girls would kick you butts?"

"If you think you could just…" Boomer began but…

"ALRIGHT! YOU CAN HAVE YOUR WAY! WE'RE NOT COWARDS SO YOU CAN HAVE YOUR FIGHT!" Butch shouted, interrupting Boomer, clearly infuriated. "YOU CAN HAVE YOUR FRIGGIN' CONDITIONS! You can have your damn alliance on your terms if you win, BUT MARK MY WORDS, TOMORROW, WE WILL KICK YOU BUTTS TO KINGDOM COME!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

As her cuffs were being cut, Bubbles has been telling the doctor and Brick what happened, and both of them were laughing.

"I couldn't believe Pops was so stupid!" Brick said in between fits of laughing, rolling on the floor clutching his stomach. "That was the funniest thing I ever heard! You were tied up and helpless yet you got the better of him! What an idiot!"

"And we could watch it all over again," Dr. Edwards remarked while cutting the cuffs on her wrists. "I confiscated his surveillance tapes so we could all see it! But it was so funny Bubbles, just hearing it! I would probably run out of breath laughing watching it!"

"And Mojo decided that the only way to kill us is to starve us!" Bubbles said, causing Brick to laugh more, and Dr. Edwards to chuckle.

"What a pathetic loser!" Brick remarked.

"So that's why you're so hungry," Dr. Edwards remarked. "I'd have to bill him for the additional cost of pizza!" he joked as he was finally able to cut the duranium on her wrists.

"Anyway," Bubbles said as he stretched her arms, "what have you guys planned this weekend."

"Well, I decided that we would spend tomorrow camping besides the lake in the middle of my property," said Dr. Edwards as he begun cutting the cuffs on her ankles. "Then, in the afternoon, we would hike the hill and camp there for the night."

"If you girls are up to it," Brick said.

"Of course we are," Bubbles said. "I'm a nature lover!"

"Well, if you can wake up at four in the morning, bathe in the ice-cold lake afterwards, fish, then clean it with only a knife, walk through Dad's land through thick bushes and sage brushes, pick up scattered pieces of wood for fuel, hike steep cliffs, not complain about mosquitoes when they start sucking your blood, not freak out when wild animals growl in the night, and sometimes sneak to you, lie on a sleeping bag, with a hard ground, not a cushion," Brick said, trying to scare Bubbles.

"Of course we can," Bubbles asserted. "We're superheroes!"

"And did I say you mustn't use your powers at all," Brick said.

"Is that true Doctor?" asked Bubbles.

"Yes," Dr. Edwards said. "If you use your powers, then the wilderness won't be much of a challenge, will it? Don't worry. It isn't as scary as Brick says it is. Just follow my directions and stick to the boys and you'll be fine! Don't fret! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah stick with us!" Brick boasted. "If Boomer could barely survive, how could you three girls do? Anyway, just stick with me. I have very long experiences with these kind of hikes, have been going on these hikes from almost the day we were recreated, and I were trained by Dad to be the greatest wilderness expert in the world, and I am the most experienced of all my brothers. I know all about it!"

Bubbles and the doctor could just feel the temperature of the room rise due to all the hot air Brick has been spouting.

'He's just as cocky as Blossom,' Bubbles thought.

"I'm sure you are," Dr. Edwards said.

"What's all that shouting?" asked Bubbles when he heard voices from above.

"I think, Brick, you should look what's the matter with your brothers upstairs?" Dr. Edwards suggested.

"And while you're at it," Bubbles suggested, "find out what happened to my sisters."

"Check them yourself!" Brick said as he left.

He went upstairs and saw Boomer and Butch, and Blossom and Buttercup having a standoff. Butch was looking enraged, while Boomer looked annoyed. Blossom and Buttercup were cockily looking at the brothers.

"BUT MARK MY WORDS, TOMORROW, WE WILL KICK YOU BUTTS TO KINGDOM COME!" he heard Butch shout.

"What is going on here?" Brick said in a serious manner, looking all parties squarely in the eye.

"Well, Butch here agreed that tomorrow we would have a fight to determine which of our plans for alliance should be adopted," Blossom said. "If we won, then there would a full-fledged alliance between us, with me as the leader! If you won, I get to choose between your three earlier proposals."

Brick glared at Butch, his anger seen as he breathed heavily and his gritting of teeth.

"Of course, even if Butch was the one who agreed to it," Blossom continued, "we all know that because you are such a great leader of your team, he would never agree to such a proposal without consulting you first and without your approval. So thanks for changing your mind from your earlier stance, since we all know that only you, could have made such a decision. Oh what a disaster it would be if we all found out that you can't even control what your own brothers in such a momentous matter." She managed to say it with a straight face, though she enjoyed the look of consternation on Brick's face.

This put Brick in a quandary. 'Damn it, that girl is so damned smart. If I reject Butch's agreement, then she would say I'm not fit to be a leader at all, and I would lose face. And I would have to humiliate Butch in front of them, and I won't do it. No—I can't deny it. It's an issue of leadership. If I back away from this, then I'm saying that I'm not fit to be a leader. Though that won't mean Butch won't pay after this.'

"Yes, we discussed about it earlier and I decided to have a fight," Brick said, though he couldn't look Blossom in the eye. Both of them (Brick and Blossom) knew that he was lying and he was just doing it to save face, "to give you a fair chance. So tomorrow, we'll have a fight with the conditions that you mentioned a while ago."

"Okay," Blossom happily said. "Now, let's discuss the details and go tell Dr. Edwards about this deal so he can judge it!"

"Okay," Brick meekly said, still not recovering from his setback. They ironed out the remaining topics, then they went to the lab, where, as luck would have it, Dr. Edwards has just finished cutting the cuffs off Bubbles' feet.

"Look girls, I'm free!" Bubbles happily said as she saw her grinning sisters.

"That's great," Blossom said. "Doctor, could you be a witness to an agreement that Brick and I made a while ago concerning the relationship between us. And of course, you would have to enforce the provisions if one of us breaks it."

"Hm, seems nothing wrong with it," Dr. Edwards said. "Do you agree, Brick?"

"Yes Dad," Brick replied.

"Okay. Wait, let me get the camcorder so we could record this on videotape. That way, you could always remember what you said," Dr. Edwards said, getting a small camcorder from a cabinet and setting it up on a tripod.

"Okay," Dr. Edwards said. "Make whatever agreement you made, and repeat it again."

The two then took out pieces of paper to read what they had earlier written.

"Okay. I, Blossom Utonium, leader of the the Powerpuff Girls, on behalf of my sisters Bubbles Utonium and Buttercup Utonium and myself, announce that a fight to be held tomorrow at the edge of the lake. Anything goes in this fight to win, and you can use any device which might help you win. If the Rowdyruff Boys win, then we, the Powerpuff Girls, shall choose between three alternatives that Brick earlier offered, the first one that Brick Edwards being the leader of a full alliance, the second that the boys would take care of monsters and villains and us girls would take care of crime and help the people, and the third is to continue the status quo. Do you accept the conditions?"

"I, William Bricker Edwards Jr., on behalf of myself and my brothers, Boomer Edwards and Butch Edwards, accept the conditions. If however, the Powerpuff Girls win, then we would have a full fledged alliance whereby the Powerpuff Girls would be admitted to be part of the Rowdyruff Boys where Blossom _could_ be considered as a leader by the parties concerned. Do you accept the conditions?"

"I accept," Blossom replied. "And one team wins if the other surrenders, gets knocked out, or fails to turn up on the designated time, which is at 10 a.m. in the morning, tomorrow, September 6, Saturday, on the east side of the lake in Dr. Edwards' land in the edge of the suburbs of Townsville. If none of those happens, then Dr. Edwards would select the winner."

After that, both Blossom and Brick shook hands, Blossom with a smug grin and Brick struggling to avoid having his lips twist into a scowl. And it was all captured on tape.

"And cut!" Dr. Edwards said. "That was some agreement. Whatever the outcome, you must do what you said you will do, or I'll have to force you to. I'll send a copy to John so he too can enforce it. So tomorrow, ten a.m., besides the lake, you'll have a fight, and I'll be the judge of it."

"Yes Dad," Brick and his brothers said.

Bubbles' mood darkened. She looked at Butch and Boomer and saw them stare angrily at Blossom and Buttercup. 'This is very bad. Very bad indeed. This is no way to create an alliance.'

After that, Dr. Edwards showed the girls their temporary room, where they unpacked. Blossom and Buttercup slept that night confident that they would win. Bubbles was a little worried that it would only worsen the relationship with the boys.

But one thing is for sure, whatever the results of the next days fight, _**an alliance between the Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff Girls is assured.**_The only question is—who will emerge as the leader, Brick or Blossom?

* * *

The mood was less bright on the boys. As soon as they were alone, Brick vented his anger at Butch.

"You idiot!" he shouted. "Why the hell did you that?"

"Because," Butch replied, "she called me called me a coward if I didn't agree to give her a fight, and I'm no coward."

"Yes, I know you're not," Brick shouted back. "But are you too blind to see that she was just baiting you? And you fell for it! You fell for the oldest trick in the book! How stupid can you get? You know what I wanted for our group, and yet, you gave her what she wanted! You shouldn't let your emotions dictate what to do! You should use your head, Butch!"

"She called us a coward!" Butch replied.

"Did you realize what you just did! You ruined all my plans! I have them at the palm of my hands! They have no choice but to accept any of my three proposals, and yet you have to open your big mouth! What kind of a moron are you, Butch?"

"Look's who's talking!" Butch retorted. "If you were so smart, then why did you back me up?"

"Do you really want me to humiliate you before those girls?" Brick replied. "Do you really want me to contradict you in front of our rivals? We are a team, Butch, we're brothers, we're family, and we don't criticize each other in front of others, especially in front of the girls! That's why I didn't blow on you till we're alone! If I'm not that smart, then I would have humiliated you in front of Dad and the girls the way you have done to me."

"And you shouldn't have made that decision," Brick continued, though not anymore shouting. "You shouldn't make any decisions for the team without consulting me, because I'm the leader. It makes me look bad! Now there's a chance that Blossom would be our leader tomorrow, and I know how you two dislike her."

"Nah, don't worry!" Butch said. "We'll beat them, and they'll eat crow!"

"Yeah Brick," Boomer said. "Lighten up! You worry too much."

"I wish I can be as confident as you guys are," Brick said. "But my gut feeling tells me we're going to lose the fight tomorrow."


	6. To Forfeit or Not to Forfeit

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 6 - To Forfeit or Not to Forfeit**

The City of Townsville, and at the home of millionaire Spencer Morebucks…

"That idiot!" Princess shouted, resisting the temptation to pull her hair. "I shouldn't have hired that monkey to do the job!"

"Now who can I hire…hm, I know!" Princess shouted, then turned off the TV that showed the news of Mojo's latest arrest. "Daddy!"

Princess Morebucks then marched towards his father lounge, where he is wearing his expensive businessman's suit looking over some papers.

"Yes Princess?"

"I've got a problem!" Princess whined to his Dad. "You see, I've got a crush on a three boys and I want to have them yet the Powerpuff Girls are there so they aren't looking at me! Oh please oh please Daddy, give me some money, maybe a million will do, so I can buy things that I can use to destroy those Powerpuff Girls and so that those boys will fall for me instead!"

"You wanted the Powerpuff Girls dead so you can have three boys all for yourself?" asked his Dad in amazement. 'This has got to be the most far-fetched thing my daughter has told me—even for her.'

"Yes Daddy," Princess whined.

"Don't worry. I won't give you the money, but I'll take care of it for you," Mr. Morebucks said. "Now go along and go to bed."

Princess was disappointed that she didn't get what she wanted.

"But Daddy!" Princess whined.

Ordinarily, Mr. Morebucks would just acquiesce when her daughter whined, but this time he held firm.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you, Princess," Mr. Morebucks. "Now go to bed." He then glared at his daughter warning her not to whine anymore.

"Yes Daddy!" she said, grumbling all the way back to her bed.

As soon as his daughter went to bed, he received a message from his butler.

"Mr. Ferguson Ckracknow is here to see you sir," the butler said.

"Oh yes. Let him in," Mr. Morebucks said.

Soon, a small man, about 5'4" tall, thin, about 92 lbs., wearing a suit not unlike that of Mr. Morebucks. He wears a large dark glasses which covers his entire upper face. He has a carefully combed blond hair.

"Ah, Ckracknow, glad you could come here," said Mr. Morebucks. "Now, let's get on with business. As you know, I am a very successful businessman. We also know that my multi-billion dollar business is one of the things keeping your criminal organization alive. However, as of lately, the arrival in Townsville of Dr. Bill Edwards and his company has given me serious competition."

"Get on with the bloody point!" Mr. Ckracknow interrupted.

"I suggest you be more polite. Need I remind you that you are in my payroll? Good. Now, Bill Edwards recently bought the hide of a monster for a billion dollars. Now, why do you think he would do that? Because he has something which might ruin my business. I know it—he has a sharper instinct business than Bill Gates and Andrew Carnegie combined, plus the genius of Thomas Edison, with the ruthlessness of John D. Rockefeller!" He ranted. "Your task, Ckracknow, is to use your syndicate to try and steal his secret and whatever might be useful and deliver it to me. Then, kill Edwards so he won't be anymore a threat to me. But not until you steal all his secrets about this hide and his new inventions."

"Okay, but I have only one request, aside from the money of course," said Mr. Ckracknow.

"What?"

"That you should not in any way interfere with me and my organization. I should have the freedom to choose on how to do it. You should freely give any amount that I will request to carry out your orders. As always, I'll give a full accounting of my expenses."

"Okay. I won't interfere. But just remember that I won't be involved if you were caught by the authorities, Ckracknow."

"Of course, Mr. Morebucks," said Mr. Ckracknow. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. For my daughter, kill the Powerpuff Girls too!" Mr. Morebucks ordered.

* * *

It was the morning of September 6, Friday, three thirty in the morning…

"Boys, wake up, its time," Dr. Edwards said, gently nudging his sons who were quietly asleep.

"Huh, what time is it?" Boomer said, glancing at his watch. "It's three thirty already? Oh yeah, oh yeah!" He then groggily woke up, taking off his clothes and going straight to the shower.

Dr. Edwards then woke up Brick and Butch. After minor complaining, they woke up and went to separate showers.

"Brick, go and wake the girls," Dr. Edwards ordered soon thereafter.

"Dad, I think you should let them sleep," Brick said while yawning. "After all, they didn't eat much so they don't have much spare energy. Don't worry, we'll go back and wake them up at around eight."

"You think so?" said Dr. Edwards. "I guess you're right, son. Now, off you go to the shower."

* * *

At about four in the morning…

The boys are in their ordinary clothes, each holding a fishing pole. Their Dad was wearing a fishing outfit, with a similar fishing pole in one of his hands, and a can of bait. "Now, you go and get the fishing boat from the garage," Dr. Edwards ordered, and the boys went and get their fishing boat, which is actually a tug-boat.

Soon, the four began walking from the house, through the forest towards the lake, which took them an hour. The boys were already used to this kind of excursion in the very early morning hours of the night, so there weren't much complaints. In fact, it was lively, with the three boys talking about just about every topic to their father, and their father just listening and talking just as much. It was times like this that made them even closer.

They soon set up the tugboat, and about five twenty, they were fishing. Or at least Dr. Edwards was. His sons fell asleep in their chairs while their poles were locked in their armpits so they could fish while sleeping. They also conveniently "forgot" to put bait in their hooks, so no fish actually tugged on their poles to wake them up. Dr. Edwards knew about this, but decided to let it pass.

"Boys wake up!" the doctor said in a loud booming voice.

"Huh, what?" said a startled Brick when he woke up. He then lost his balance in his chair and fell to the floor. "Oh yeah, the fishing!" He then pulled the pole, which caught only a few drops of water.

His brothers were less startled and woke up in less dramatic fashion than their brother. They noticed a big pile of fish in the boat.

"Boys, it's seven thirty in the morning!" he said. "They should be awake right about now. I want you to go and fetch the girls!"

"Oh yeah," said Brick, scratching the back of his head. "I forgot all about that! Come on, guys!"

So Brick and Butch flew at top speed back towards their house. They arrived none too soon, for the girls just woke and just got dressed.

"Where have you been?" Blossom exclaimed. "I've been worried sick!"

"Yeah, we thought you just disappeared," Buttercup said.

"Oh, Dad and us just went to the lake about four hours ago," said Brick. "Dad and I have been fishing for the past four hours."

"We wouldn't want to wake you up, since we all know you can't wake up at three thirty in the morning 'cause you're sissies!" Butch taunted.

"Looks who's talking," Buttercup replied. "You'll eat your words once we whoop you in the fight!"

"Who's saying so?" Boomer shot back. "You're so weak you won't even touch us!"

"Oh yeah!" Blossom retorted.

"Yeah! I bet you're so weak you couldn't even break a rope!" Brick teased.

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" challenged Blossom.

"I guess I would! Ten dollars says that you couldn't even break the rope Boomer is going to get!" Brick said.

"Prepare to pay up then!" Buttercup then said.

"Okay Boomer, get the rope," Brick ordered.

"Yes sir!" Boomers said, doing a mock salute before getting it. Soon enough, he brought a basket full of rope.

Brick "randomly" picked one and handed it to Blossom.

"Break this one," Brick challenged.

Like a piece of thread, Blossom easily snapped it. "Okay, where's my ten bucks!"

"Not yet! Let's make it more interesting," Butch said. "Double or nothing says that you couldn't break this ropes if we tie you with it."

Blossom was caught off guard by this suggestion, and have some doubts, but she was preempted by Buttercup.

"You wish! Prepare twenty bucks!" Buttercup challenged. Blossom decided to go along. And Bubbles had no choice but to.

The boys grinned at each other. They then got a few lengths of rope from the basket.

"Okay, turn back and hands behind your back!" ordered Brick.

"Hey…" Blossom began to complain.

"What's the matter, you afraid!" Butch taunted.

"Of course not!" Blossom replied, and against her better judgment, turned around and offered her hands.

"Of course, don't begin until I say so," Brick said.

"Okay okay, just get on with it," Buttercup said.

Brick, Butch and Boomer each tightly tied their counterparts hands behind them, then their feet. Then, in a surprise move, they suddenly placed the anti-laser goggles on the girls eyes, the same one used on them by Mojo.

"Hey, this wasn't part of the bet!" complained Blossom.

"You didn't say it can't be used, sister!" Boomer said as he put the goggles on Bubbles eyes.

Then, they strapped the anti-gravity belts on to the girls.

"Now can we begin," Bubbles asked.

"Not yet!" Brick said as he left the room with three pieces of clean cloth and a roll of duct tape.

"Hey, no gags!" Buttercup says. "Okay, I've had enough!" She tried breaking the ropes. To her surprise, it didn't easily snap like she expected it to. Blossom and Bubbles tried it but the rope was too tight.

"What, can't break it? I thought I just heard you three say how easily you could've broken it!" taunted Butch.

The girls resisted the gags, but having been again tied up and rendered helpless by their own cockiness, it was a futile effort. Soon, their mouths were bulging with the cloth in their mouths and duct tape sealing their lips.

"Okay, here's the deal. You have three hours, until about ten thirty this morning, to get free. If not, then we'll untie you at that time and you lose and pay us twenty dollars."

'Ten thirty?" Blossom thought. 'Hey, isn't that thirty minutes after the start of the fight. Of course, they tricked us so we would forfeit the game!'

Blossom then started thrashing wildly, trying to get off the ropes on her body, but to no avail. One could hear loud mmppphhs from her gag, and her eyes glared at the three boys.

Soon, the boys left the house and headed back towards the lake.

"That's a great plan, Brick!" Boomer complimented. "Using ordinary rope to lure them in and using rope made from the fibers of that monster's hide to tie them up!"

"And the best part is, we get to win by forfeiture!" Brick added. "If they don't show up by ten, then we'll win, and they would have to choose one of my three demands. At least we're out of the mess Butch led us in!"

"And the best part is, they can't really complain, since they agreed to it!" Butch said.

The boys then flew towards the tugboat with evil smiles on their faces.

"Hi boys," Dr. Edwards said. "Where are the girls?"

"Oh they were still asleep. We decided that they're still so tired that it would be heartless of us to wake them, given what happened to them yesterday," Brick explained.

"Oh well, they're missing on all of the fun," Dr. Edwards said.

"Dad, could we take a swim?" Butch asked.

"Sure, sure," said Dr. Edwards.

The boys then went to the edge of the lake, stripped naked like they always do when swimming in their own private lake.

* * *

It was eight thirty in the morning, one hour later, and the girls have gotten nowhere in their squirming. They were all covered with sweat and tired. They tried and tried to break the rope, but as they found out, the rope was very tough.

'I need to escape, fast, or we'll forfeit the fight!' Blossom thought as she renewed her effort. 'This ropes are too strong! I can't break it. What are these things made of? She then looked at her sisters and saw the rope tying Buttercup's hand. An idea popped into her head.

He hopped and rolled to where Buttercup was. She mmmpphhh a little, and Buttercup decided to relax her struggling. Blossom then felt with her hands the knots tying Buttercup's hands, and a then made a few clumsy tugs and pulls. Twenty minutes later, Blossom finally pulled the right knot, the rope unraveled and Buttercup's hands were free.

Buttercup first ripped off the duct tape and spit out the white handkerchief from her mouth. "When I'm through with those boys, I'll…"

"MMmmpphhh!" Blossom and Bubbles said.

"Oh yeah!" Buttercup said, then went and untied Blossom hands. Blossom then untied Bubbles.

"Well, at least we get to collect the twenty dollars," Bubbles said.

"That was a dirty trick they pulled on us!" Blossom said. She then picked up the rope was tied in and tried breaking it and it didn't, despite using her full strength. "And it would've have worked too if Butch didn't tie such wretched knots."

"Is that so," Buttercup said. "Ha, I'll bet he couldn't even tie his shoes properly. So Red, what's your plan?"

"Well, let's see where those boys are. I think I heard them mentioning that they are besides the lake. Let's stick to the ground so we can surprise them!"

So the three puffs flew at low altitude, probably not higher than the trees so as not to be seen by their victims-to-be. They soon reached the place near the edge of the lake but still in the forest. They soon sneaked towards the edge of the lake when they came upon a very important discovery.

"Hey, isn't that the clothes of the boys?" asked Bubbles as he saw the discarded clothes on a bush right beside the lake.

"I wonder what they are doing there?" Blossom wondered. Her question was answered when they peaked at the lake.

They saw the boys swimming in the lake, completely naked. The girls immediately turned from the sight, giggling, resisting the temptation to peek. However, Blossom smirked.

"Buttercup, get those clothes and hide them in the forest somewhere. Bubbles, get three of our frilly party dresses from our room, and bring it here," Blossom said. "I'll stay here and make sure they don't go anywhere!"

"Oh come one, they aren't going anywhere without their clothes," Buttercup asserted. "You just want to peek at them!"

Blossom's cheeks flushed red at Buttercup's suggestion. "No, I do not!" she nearly shouted.

"Shush! Quiet Blossom, want those boys to hear us and unravel all our plans!" Buttercup loudly whispered as she covered Blossom's hand with her hands.

"Sorry. Okay, I'll go with you!" Blossom said, scratching the back of the head.

So Blossom and Buttercup hid the boys' clothes on some undisclosed location in the forest, while Bubbles got the dresses from their room.

* * *

A few minutes later, at about 9 in the morning, they met up.

"Now, put those dresses on the bushes where we found the clothes of those boys," Blossom directed. "This should be fun!"

Bubbles did as instructed.

"Now, let's go back to the house, then went back and pretend we just got out of those ropes," Blossom said. And the three went back to the house, and went back to the lake.

"Hey boys, we just got out of your ropes, and now you owe us 20!"

The boys, who were swimming blissfully unaware of the girls' machinations, were shocked to find that their captives has gotten free. They quickly submerged themselves deeper into the water to prevent them being embarrassed, so only the head was visible to the girls.

"How did you…" Brick said, with mouth wide open.

"Oh you mean get out of those ropes," Blossom said. "Well, we couldn't break those ropes, but Butch has the knot tying ability of a one-year-old. I bet he couldn't even tie his shoes!"

Brick turned and glared at Butch. Butch shuddered under the intense glare of his brother then resigned himself from another tongue lashing from his brother after this is all over. 'He's just like Dad when he's angry. It's scary!"

"Okay, okay. Now go turn around or close your eyes or go hide yourself or something. We're naked and we'll get dressed!" Brick replied.

"Okay," said Blossom. "Girls, let's go down and let the boys get 'dressed!' "

As soon as they were sure the girls were not peeking, they quickly leapt out from the lake and into the nearby bushes, where they last left their clothes.

"Hey, where are our clothes," Boomer said. "And what are those dresses doing here?"

Then Brick realized what happened. "Those girls took our clothes and left these dresses here!"

"What are we gonna do?" Butch said. "We've got nothing to wear, and I'm certainly won't wear that!"

"Let's go back to the lake before someone sees us!" Brick quickly advised, and on cue, all three boys, as quick as could be, jumped back.

"BLOSSOM, BUTTERCUP, BUBBLES, I DEMAND GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE AND GIVE US BACK OUR CLOTHES!" Brick shouted, with only their heads seen from the top of the lake.

They then saw the girls emerge at the edge of the lake.

"What? I thought you're going to get dressed?" Buttercup taunted.

"Cut the chase!" Butch said. "We know you took our clothes, and get those icky dresses!"

"Oh that," Blossom said, "oh yeah. We noticed that too! Listen guys, I'll stop beating around the bush. Both you and I know that it was not about the twenty dollars that you tied us up, it was about forcing us to forfeit the game. Think about this as payback."

"Now," Blossom continued, "I'm giving you a choice. I have hidden your clothes somewhere in the forest. If I were you, I wouldn't waste your time looking for it. Now, as you know, in half-an hour, it would be ten a.m., the start of our fight. Now, I know you can't fight naked, so I'm giving you two choices. Forfeit the fight to us, or you could wear those pretty dresses that Bubbles brought over and fight in them."

Brick knew he was caught in a trap. He was very angry at the girls, though he was even more angry at his brother Butch for botching up his plans again. Yet true to form, he resisted the urge to blow up at his brother in front of the girls. 'If that Butch tied up Buttercup properly , then we wouldn't be in this mess. Nah, it's my fault, I should've checked his knots. That Blossom is one smart girl! One way or another, she'll humiliate us, and we can't do a thing about it. I can never show my face to Dad…hey wait a minute!'

"Um, could we talk about this for a while?" asked Brick.

"Okay," Blossom said, but keeping a close eye on the three.

"Okay, here's my plan. And it's not hopeless," Brick assured his brothers. "I just remembered, Dad's fishing in the middle of the lake in his tugboat."

"And he always keeps in one of the cabinets three pairs of clean clothes and underwear just in case we get ourselves wet when we go fishing!" Boomer added.

"And there's a small cabin in it where we could get dressed!" Butch added in delight.

"Glad you remembered. Now here's what we'll do…" Brick then planned their strategy.

The girls were sceptically looking at the boys, confident at having them in a bind they cannot get out of. They saw the boys dive. They then waited for them to reemerge. Then, they noticed, for the first time ever, Dr. Edwards' tugboat.

"Hey, that tugboat is going to that shore over there," Blossom said. Then, she saw three streaks of light-blue, red and green, dart out of the water besides the tugboat and into the boat.

"The boys—our plan is ruined!" Blossom said when she saw them enter the boat. "We totally forgot about Dr. Edwards!"

"Yeah! But at least we can now thrash them in the fight!" Buttercup exclaimed.

"Bubbles, could you return the party dresses back. We—and the boys—won't be needing it," Blossom said with a defeated voice.

"Okay," Bubbles said.

"Oh well. We'll have to win the old fashioned way—with a good knock-out fight!" Blossom said to her sister. "This is only a temporary setback, and one way or another, I'll get my way with those boys."

The boys quickly changed into their new clothes, which looked identical with their old one, in the cabin. "Whew! That was a close one!" Boomer commented.

"Yup. They nearly succeeded too!" Brick added.

They then went outside, where they noticed that the boat is outside the cabin is almost full of fish. "Not bad, though I still need to catch more to break my old record," said the doctor. "Hi girls, come join us!" he shouted and waived his hand when he saw the girls floating just above them.

To their pleasant surprise, they saw Dr. Edwards in a fishing outfit. True, it shouldn't be unusual, but it is the first time the girls ever saw him not wearing a shirt and tie. The girls then joined the former friend of their father.

"Not bad for an amateur fisherman, eh?" Dr. Edwards said. "Anyway, it's nine forty five, and I think we should go to the shore so that you can prepare for your upcoming fight."

Dr. Edwards then went and began steering the boat towards the shore. Ten minutes later, they arrived.

Dr. Edwards then set up his video camera on a tripod to record the fight on tape. He then checked his watch. It is 9:59 a.m.

"Okay, in one minute, you two would begin the fight. Since both teams made it just in time, nobody forfeited. Now the rules are contained in the videotape that we made last night. I'm sure you all remembered it."

Brick, Boomer and Butch slowly floated up in the air and readied their fighting positions. Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles did the same. The two teams angrily glared at each other.

"And it's 10:00! BEGIN!" he shouted.

Thus, the fourth clash with the girls since the boys were resurrected commenced.


	7. The Fourth Clash: The Loophole

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 7 - The Fourth Clash: The Loophole**

The City of Townsville, and once again, in the forest on Dr. Edwards' property at the edge of the lake—his sons—the Rowdyruff Boys, and their once enemies and present rivals the Powerpuff Girls, met for the fourth time battle it out. Not because they thought the other side was evil, but because the leaders of each respective teams wants to be the leader of the alliance-in-the-making.

The girls charged headlong into the boys, each expecting a one on one fight with their counterparts. Blossom was in the middle, her sisters on either side of her.

Brick, however, had other plans. "Men, execute plan AB56," the ruff leader shouted.

The three boys then charged headlong into the girls, seemingly imitating the girls, but at the last moment, Brick slowed down, while his brothers accelerated. Bubbles and Buttercup increased their speed, both expecting to crash into their counterparts, but at the last minute, they—Boomer and Butch—swerved out of their paths. The girls were surprised, as a result of the speed they picked up, was unable to slow down and was soon far away from the battlefield.

Boomer and Butch, having swerved from their counterparts, then struck Blossom in the middle. Brick, then charged and struck Blossom in the stomach.

Blossom was surprised at the three-pronged attack on her, and was unable to defend herself. Brick quickly froze her, and Butch gave her a powerful kick, sending her down crashing into the forest—seemingly unconscious.

The boys weren't even given the chance to enjoy their triumph, for Bubbles quickly returned to the place of battle and used her sonic scream to throw them all off guard. Then Buttercup came from underneath them and kicked the distracted Butch. But before she could follow it up, Boomer grabbed Buttercup from behind while Brick kicked her in the head. Bubbles then laser-eyed Boomer, causing him to let go of Buttercup.

Bubbles gave another powerful sonic voice, and the boys and Buttercup was thrown father away. "Oops, sorry Buttercup," she apologized as she put her hands together. Soon a laser beam streamed forth from Bubbles' hands and struck Boomer in the back, causing him to fall to the lake.

"Boomer!" shouted Butch.

"Get your lazy butt up here and fight!" Brick shouted. "Butch, I'll handle Buttercup while you take care of Bubbles. Can you do that?"

"Of course, fearless leader," Butch said. "I'll eat her for breakfast!"

Butch then moved to confront Bubbles. But Bubbles, instead of fighting, repeated her earlier strategy against Butch—running away.

"Catch me if you can," she shouted, then flew away from him as fast as she could. Butch chased after her.

Bubbles dived to the trees below, and followed a zigzag course through it. Above, Butch traced her movements. He then went below to catch her, but just as he did, Bubbles flew up in the sky. Butch followed suit.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick laser-eyed Buttercup. She dodged it, and charged headlong into Brick. Brick stood in her way, then at the last moment, stepped aside, grabbing her hands and spinning her. He then threw her high in the sky. Brick followed her and struck her hard in the neck before she could halt her upward momentum. She then fell downward fast, but before she crashed to the ground, she came back to her senses. She landed gracefully, then used her legs to proper her upward and charge Brick again.

Brick smirked. 'Things are going ahead as planned,' he thought, and prepared a small laser beam in his hands. 'Come, come on close so I can hit you!'

But as soon as she was near Brick, he was suddenly struck by laser from behind. Distracted, Brick was easily hit by Buttercup's incoming powerful punch. Brick then spun in the air upward, before halting and seeing both Blossom and Buttercup smirking at him.

"You," Brick said, pointing at Blossom, "you're supposed to be unconscious." She was bruised in several places and she had scratches all over.

"Do you think something like that would knock me out for good?" Blossom said. "I'm insulted that you think of me as such a weakling. Buttercup, I'll take of Brick. You go and find Butch, and take care of him!"

"No way Blossom! I want to finish off that loser!" Buttercup replied, referring to Brick. "You go and take on Butch."

"Buttercup! Go and get Butch and leave Brick to me!" Blossom ordered. "That's an order!"

"Look, I get to take him since I got to him first! You were lying on the ground the whole time!" Buttercup complained.

"I don't have any time for…" but Blossom was interrupted when Brick used his breath to freeze her, then kicked her towards Buttercup. She crashed into her, and both fell to the ground.

Buttercup, though hurt, quickly recovered, and charged towards Brick. Brick waited until Buttercup was close enough, then put his hands together and emitted laser from it. It hit Buttercup square on and threw her towards the ground.

* * *

Blossom by that time was able to crack the ice she was encased in, and hurriedly flew to eye level of Brick as Buttercup fell for the second time.

"And you want to be the leader!" Brick said. "Pathetic! You can't even reliably command your sister in the middle of the battle. How can you expect to command my brothers if you become our leader?"

Blossom smirked. "I'm asking you, will you follow me if I am your leader?" she asked.

Brick was caught off-guard by that question. "Um…ah…if and only if, you become our leader, yes I will! I always demand obedience from my brothers 'cause I am a leader, and I would be a jerk if I don't follow if somebody else is leader. But I'll make sure that that won't happen!" he quickly added.

"Good. Then all I have to do is to use you to command your brothers. After all, when I'm the leader of this alliance, you'll remain leader of your brothers, with only me as higher. I'm sure you'll make sure that they would obey me as they did you," Blossom cockily replied. "And we're going to win this fight—mark my words! We never lost a fight yet!"

"Keep on spouting that hot air and you might believe what you're saying," Brick said. "When I'm leader, I won't need you to command your sisters the way you'll need me when commanding my brothers if you're the leader."

"Cocky, aren't we?" Blossom smirked.

"Hi Blossom!" Bubbles said as she suddenly appeared besides her red-haired sister.

Brick spotted Butch chasing Bubbles. "Butch, stop chasing her and stand beside me."

"But…" Butch began, but melted under the intense glare of his brother. Butch grumbled, but did as his leader asked immediately.

Soon, Boomer, who was dizzy the whole time since he was struck in the head, regained his senses and joined his brothers. Buttercup recovered and was about to attack the boys but Blossom restrained her. "Easy Buttercup."

Buttercup saw the three boys and decided it best to not defy the redheaded leader and went to join her sisters.

Soon, both sets of kids were floating in the air, staring at each other once more.

The girls attacked the boys. "Do Plan Alpha Gamma Theta, girls," they heard Blossom said.

Blossom attacked Butch, Buttercup attacked Boomer, and Bubbles attacked Brick, catching them off guard.

Butch was punched at the face and staggered back. She then grabbed the surprised Butch's hands and tossed him in the air. Butch halted in mid-air and looked angrily at Blossom.

"You're going down, girl!" Butch angrily said

"Tsk, tsk. That's no way to talk to your future leader, Butch," Blossom teased. 'That should push the right buttons,' she thought.

Butch attacked Blossom with a force and fury that rivalled Hitler's blitz. But he just attacked and attacked without much thinking, while Blossom kept her cool and blocked or dodged most of his punches, kicks, and then occasionally punching Butch hard. It's slow, but it further frustrates Butch, making him to attack more from instinct, while the occasional attacks from Blossom slowly took their toll. Overall, both are equal in speed and strength, but Blossom has an advantage in tactics, and thinks while fighting. She has by now mastered Butch's powerful, fast, but repetitive techniques, and she didn't take too long to develop the counters for it.

Buttercup's attack on Boomer was perhaps the most savage. She charged headlong into the blue ruff, punching his stomach before he could get his defenses up. She then quickly kicked him in the back of his neck, then laser-eyed him. She then spun him around and threw him towards the lake.

Boomer halted in mid-air. But he was immediately attacked by Buttercup, giving him no rest. Soon, Boomer became Buttercup's punching bag. Boomer is Buttercup's equal in strength and speed, but not in aggressiveness. Like Butch, she would instinctively pummel her opponents, but Boomer was more passive a fighter on his own, and he has none of Brick or Blossom's tactical brilliance to counter it. He could hold his own against Buttercup if she just gave him at least a ten second breathing space, but Buttercup had no intention of giving him one.

* * *

Brick and Bubbles were another matter. Bubbles started by slamming her head on his stomach, knocking the wind out him, but he quickly recovered and attacked Bubbles. Bubbles avoided Brick, then flew high up in the sky. Brick went after her, but just flew higher and higher. Then, when the eyes were in front of the sun, he was forced to close his eyes temporarily because of the brightness. He then felt Bubbles laser-eye him, kick him, then throw him higher in the air. He opened his eyes once the sun was at his back, and saw Bubbles. Bubbles at once retreated. She then used her sonic voice, and threw Brick further off guard. He retaliated with a laser-eye attack, but Bubbles just retreated further, and he completely missed. He chased after her. Bubbles just ran away. Brick then followed.

'Damn you Bubbles, can't you stay in one place?' Brick asked in his mind. 'As if this is some sort of trick! Trick? Wait a minute.'

He then looked back. What he saw horrified him. 'Oh Damn it! Hell that Blossom is one smart gal!' He saw Butch slowly being sapped by Blossom's attacks while his aggressiveness gained him nothing, while Boomer is being pummeled mercilessly by Buttercup. 'That Blossom is one hell of tactician! Butch got no chance against Blossom in a one on one fight just like Buttercup has no chance against me, while Boomer is at Buttercup's mercy, just like Butch could cream Bubbles as easily. And Bubbles is only a distraction so that they could take care of me three on one when both are out of the way!' Brick then accelerated his chase of Bubbles. The blue puff increased her speed in response.

'Perfect,' Brick said. He then sharply changed his trajectory and headed back to where his brothers were. Bubbles, didn't know until a few good seconds later. She turned and chased Brick. However, Brick has gained much distance.

He first reached Buttercup and Boomer. He immediately kicked Buttercup in the stomach, completely surprising her. "Hey, you should be chasing Bubbles!" she said as she attacked again with the same aggressiveness that she attacked Boomer. Brick, however, dodged some of the attacks, and laser-eyed her. "Your attacks are too predictable!" he said to Buttercup. "Boomer, take care of Bubbles," he ordered.

"Yes Brick," said Boomer without question, glad to be out of Buttercup's sights.

Buttercup renewed her ferocious assault. Brick, however, seem to know her moves beforehand and was able to dodge it, no matter how fast. Brick then grabbed one arm of Buttercup, spun her and threw her towards Butch and Blossom.

Bubbles saw Brick and Buttercup, and she saw that Buttercup is losing badly. 'Oh no, I have to help Buttercup. I'm suppose to be the one taking on Brick, not Buttercup,' she thought. 'I've got to help Buttercup!'

But Boomer blocked her. "You have to go through me first!"

"Not now!" Bubbles said. "I've got to help Buttercup."

"And I've got to help Brick," Boomer replied.

They soon fought. Bubbles laser-eyed Boomer, and hit him squarely. Bubbles, in her usual nature, didn't follow it up, giving Boomer time to recover. He then lunged at Bubbles. He lost too much energy because of the pummeling he received from Buttercup, however, he was too slow, and Bubbles was able to avoid it. He then kicked Bubbles in the head. It hurt her, but not as much as Boomer hoped it would. She just touched the lump, and said, "Ouch, that hurt."

"It's supposed to," Boomer replied. 'It should've sent her crashing down the ground. Damn it, I think that pummelling I received from that Buttercup weakened me more than I think!'

Bubbles counter-attacked, and in a series of punches and kicks, utterly pounded Boomer.

Buttercup crashed into Blossom's back, giving the opening Butch desperately craves for. He then laser-eyed Blossom and Buttercup.

Brick, seeing that Butch has seemingly taken care of his problem, then went to help Boomer. He froze Bubbles using his ice breathe, and kicked her to the ground.

He barely finished when he turned his head when he saw Butch being beaten to a pulp by both Buttercup and Blossom. 'This is not good. I can't leave Boomer alone with Bubbles. He was so weakened by Buttercup that Bubbles will cream him. Yet I have to help Butch! Well, time to use the secret weapon!' He then reached his pocket and found…it empty.

'Oh shit! It was in the pocket of my other clothes—the one that those girls hid. Oh damn it! What rotten luck! What if they found out about it? We're screwed if that happens! And Dad will kill me for sure if he finds out! Well, we'll have to beat them before they figure it out!'

"Butch, Brick, retreat to the edge of the lake!" he ordered. "NOW!"

Butch quickly extricated himself from his predicament and joined his brother. Bubbles decided to let Boomer join his brothers.

"Are you preparing to make your declaration of surrender?" Blossom taunted as she saw the three boys make a stand together at the edge of the lake.

"Well, now that you mentioned it, we did consider a surrender. All you have to do is go and say 'I surrender' to us, and we promise we won't be too harsh!" Boomer replied.

"Ha! You've got some nerve!" Buttercup replied. "You must be in some other planet! Mars maybe? Come to think of it, I think I saw a picture of you three from the Mars Rover?"

"Lame!" Butch replied.

"Men, let's do the Diamond Blue!" Brick said.

"The Diamond Blue," Boomer shouted. "Oh yeah!"

"We'll tear their dresses off them with that!" Butch said. When the girls and his brothers gave him dirty looks, he added, "figuratively of course!"

"Okay! Men, let's do the first of the Diamond Attacks, the Diamond Blue!"

Boomer jumped in front, while Butch behind. Brick stood in the middle. The girls just watched the three.

Then, at exactly the same second, they took off towards the girls. Then, suddenly, they accelerated, and a tail of red, blue and green could be seen behind them. Soon, however, the lights begun to seem to engulf them, and a few seconds later, the blue one snuffed out the red and green one. The tail then disappeared, and one could only see a large blue ball spinning fast towards the girls.

"Girls, duck!" Blossom ordered. The girls ducked, but it was too late. Buttercup used her arms to block the attack, but it just overwhelmed her. Soon, she was falling towards the ground. She was still awake, though her strength was diminished and was hurt all over.

The boys were separated when they hit Buttercup. "Okay, men, do the Diamond Five!"

The boys then stood back to back, and began flying in circles, still back to back. Soon, the light from their tails began engulfing them, and soon, the blue light dominated. Soon, it spun, and a powerful blue beam streamed forth from it towards the girls.

"Bubbles, come to me and let's block it together!" Blossom ordered.

Bubbles did as told. She went besides Blossom, and both waited for the beam. Soon, it reached them and they did all they could to block it with their arms. However, it was too much, and soon it engulfed them. Seconds later, Bubbles and Blossom could be seen falling towards the ground. They soon landed besides Buttercup. All three were still awake and able to fight, yet all were significantly weakened.

"We've lost our advantage in strength," Blossom wryly said. "We shouldn't have let them do those attacks."

She saw the three boys, with the sun behind their backs, staring down at them. She tried staring back, but the sun's glare was too much.

"I know!" she said. She then flew to where she hid the boys' clothes, and searched the pockets. "Ah, here it is," she said, clutching in her fingers Brick's shades. "What's this?" she said as she picked a small sized ball with a button on it. She could read the words 'sunball' and 'invented by William Edwards of Edtech Corp.' on it. "Wonder what this is? Probably one of those devices Dr. Edwards invented to help them in a fight."

She then pocketed the device in a pocket of her dress. She then searched the pockets of the other rowdyruffs, and took the sunglasses. She wore Brick's shades, and raced towards where her sisters are. "I don't think they would mind. I'll just return it to them after the fight. After all, we did agree that anything goes, and we can use anything!"

She arrived to see her sisters and the boys engaged in a staring contest.

"Where have you been red?" Buttercup said, nearly shouting.

"I told you she wouldn't abandon us!" Bubbles said to Buttercup.

"So you came back!" Brick shouted from above. "I was beginning to think…" he then froze in terror as he saw what's in Blossom's hand. 'Oh shit! She has those shades. That probably means she already has the sunball! If she ever finds out how to use it we're screwed!'

"Men, let's finish this! Do the Diamond Star! Our deadliest attack!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Use this girls," Blossom said, distributing the shades to her sisters.

"What's this for?" Buttercup asked.

"Simple. It's nearly noon, and the sun is very bright," Blossom said. "Wearing this would give us a small advantage and we won't have to close our eyes every time we face the sun."

"MEN, DO THE DIAMOND STAR!" she heard Brick command.

"Oh no, not one of those again. Girls, let's do the Furious Fiery Feline!"

"Okay!"

"Powerpuff Girls," Blossom shouted as the three of them raced up higher and higher into the atmosphere.

"Furious," Blossom started.

"Fiery!" Bubbles shouted.

"Feline!" Buttercup finished.

Pretty soon, they were past the boys and racing towards the upper atmosphere.

The boys saw them. Soon, at synchronized speed, they chased after the girls, with tails of blue, red and green clearly seen. Soon, tail lights merged as one color-blue-and the boys were covered with blue light. The boys themselves disappeared in the light, which assumed the figure of a blue comet.

When they were high enough in the air, the girls made a sharp u-turn. As they approached the boys, their bodies burst into flame and the two moved ever closer to each other, finally merging and transforming into a blazing comet with a cat's face. It was smaller and much less powerful than the original one however, because they were weak at this stage of the fight.

The Furious Fiery Feline and the Diamond Star collided, causing a huge explosion and the sky to be covered with white light for a second due to the clash of powerful energies. A second later, Dr. Edwards, who had recorded all on tape, saw six figures falling.

They soon landed besides the lake, all still conscious, still able to fight. Yet they were very weak. They were panting with exhaustion, as if the collision took almost everything out of them. Still, they stood up and stared at each other, willing to give it another go.

"This has got to end," Brick said. "Surrender!"

"Not a chance," Blossom said, as she put her hands on her pocket and pulled the sunball from her pocket. "Now, what could this do?"

"No, don't push the button and throw it at us!" Boomer shouted in panic. "It would give off a very bright light for five minutes which would cause us to close our eyes except if you were wearing special shades like the one you have on, oops!"

Brick stared very angrily at his brother. "You idiot!" he simply said in a low, angry voice.

"You gave the whole thing away!" Butch said, glaring at his brother.

"You mean like this," Blossom said, pushing the button and throwing it at the boys.

"We're screwed!" Brick said as it hit the ground. Soon, all three brothers were in fighting position—with eyes close.

"Okay girls, this is our chance. Go for Butch first. Knock him out!" Blossom ordered, and the three of them attacked the temporarily blind boys.

Blossom first delivered a strong kick towards Butch's stomach. He doubled over. Bubbles then laser-eyed him, while Buttercup delivered a well placed punch in the back of his head. Butch tried fighting back, but against three puffs with his eyes closed, he had no chance whatsoever. His brothers were confused as to what's going on, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't be able to do a thing because they can't see.

"Let's finish him," Blossom said. She and Buttercup put their hands together, and a powerful laser streamed forth from their hands, and hit Butch. He screamed, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious, the first to fall.

"Butch!" Boomer shouted when he heard his scream. He tried opening his eyes, but he closed it again as the blinding light was too much.

"He's out of the fight, probably unconscious," said Brick besides him.

"What can we do to win, Brick?" Boomer asked.

"We can't! We've already lost," Brick answered angrily.

Soon, the girls resumed their three on one assault—on Boomer. Blossom froze him in ice, then Bubbles use her laser eyes on him. Finally, Buttercup gave a good kick on the back of his head. He, being the weakest after an earlier pummelling by Buttercup, collapsed.

Brick was now all alone.

He waited, and waited for the three to descend on him with a fury that would make the four horsemen of apocalypse a pansy, but instead, it never came.

"You can open you eyes now," said Blossom.

He did, and the sunball isn't anymore giving any light. He saw his unconscious brothers lying on the ground, but more importantly, he saw the Powerpuff Girls standing on three sides guarding him.

He balled his fists, gritted his teeth and glared at the girls.

"Well, any last words before you join your brothers?" taunted Buttercup.

Brick then relaxed himself. He sighed, put up his hands. "I surrender. I give up. You win."

With that, the fourth clash was over, with the Powerpuff Girls having a clear-cut victory.

The girls were shocked to hear it, even if they were pleased. "Hey, aren't you going to make a last stand and all?" asked Bubbles.

"What's the point? I can't win against you three with my brothers out, and I'd only get myself beaten up more," Brick said in defeat. "Okay, you can have you alliance. I, William Bricker Edwards Jr., leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, do hereby accept you three as part of the Rowdyruff Boys. In fact, I'm eagerly awaiting the opportunity of you serving me!"

"Don't you mean you serving me as leader," Blossom said. "You can't wiggle out of it. You agreed to it and it's recorded on tape."

"Well, I guess we have to take a look at the tape to see what we really agreed to if we lost the fight," Brick said, then saw his father approach, this time wearing shades similar to what Blossom was wearing.

"Quick, where's the sunball, and give me those shades, or Dad'll kill me!" Brick said in panic.

The girls complied, amused to see the usually dignified and cool red ruff act like an idiot as he scoured the sunball among the pebbles besides the lake. He soon found it and pocketed it, and wiped his brow. "Whew, that was close!"

"Dad, can we—," Brick began, but was cut off by his father.

"First things first," his father said. "Girls, Brick, pick up Boomer and Butch so that they'll be more comfortable when they wake up in an hour or so."

"Okay," he and the girls said. A few minutes later, Butch and Boomer were in cots inside tents that the doctor had earlier set up, with bandages in their heads.

"Will they be alright?" asked Blossom.

"Yes. They have chemical X on them, after all, so they'd probably recover faster than before," Dr. Edwards. "So what were you asking again?"

By this time, Buttercup and Bubbles were taking off their clothes and putting on their bathing suits as they scrambled to swim in the lake.

"Um, doctor, did you bring the tape where we made our agreement last night? You see, Brick and his brothers lost, and we want know exactly what has been said," Blossom asked.

"Of course," said Dr. Edwards as he took a tape from his bag. He removed the tape from the camcorder, and placed another on it. He set the camcorder on VCR mode, and played it. Soon, they saw Brick and Blossom make the agreement.

"I, William Bricker Edwards Jr., on behalf of myself and my brothers, Boomer Edwards and Butch Edwards, accept the conditions. If however, the Powerpuff Girls win, then we would have a _full fledged alliance_ whereby the Powerpuff Girls would be _admitted to be part of the Rowdyruff Boys_ where Blossom _could_ be _considered_ as a leader by the parties concerned. Do you accept the conditions?"

"I accept," Blossom replied. "And one team wins if the other surrenders, gets knocked out, or fails to turn up on the designated time, which is at 10 a.m. in the morning, tomorrow, September 6, Saturday, on the east side of the lake in Dr. Edwards' land in the edge of the suburbs of Townsville. If none of those happens, then Dr. Edwards would select the winner."

"See, it's all there!" Blossom asserted after the three of them viewed the tape. "You lost, we won, and you agreed on making me leader of an alliance."

"No. It said you _would be admitted as part of the Rowdyruff Boys_, meaning you would join us as new members. Since I am the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, it's only natural that I continue as leader. And furthermore, I said you _could_, not _would,_ be _considered_, not _made_, a leader if you won. So, your theory that you'd be the next leader according to our agreement doesn't hold water."

"Hey, you and I made an agreement before stating that I should be the leader before making that agreement. That tape's just a formality," Blossom argued, barely able to contain her rage upon hearing Brick's twisting of words. "And as I remember, it says _full fledge alliance_, meaning we just don't join you. Which means that you can't be leader because of that!"

"Since this was a formal and recorded agreement, this is the one that counts, and you and I agreed to abide by it," Brick said. "Yes I agreed, but I changed my mind. If you're dumb enough to say yes even if when I said that, that means you're too dumb in the English language to be considered a leader!"

"Why you—you're just a sore loser!" Blossom shouted at Brick.

"Yes, we lost the fight, I admit it," Brick said, "but I didn't make any agreement in the tape saying that you would become leader. You only _could_ be _considered_, which, however way you twist, does not mean your immediate coronation if you win, your Majesty!" he said in sarcasm. "Now, if I said you _would be_ the leader or _will be_ the leader, and you agreed to it, then you'll be the leader, no question, right now. And if you think that I meant that you will be the leader when I said it, then you're as gullible as a sailor on land when you said yes. Besides, turnabout is fair play. You tricked Butch and me into this fight, so why cry when I trick you into making such a vague statement?"

"Why you…"

"Don't worry, as your new leader," Brick hauntingly said, "I could consider you as a new leader, as I agreed—eventually!"

"DOCTOR EDWARDS!" Blossom shouted frustratingly.

The doctor, who was outside the tent putting the fish from his tugboat to the shore and preparing to cook it, heard it and went inside.

"Yes Blossom, Brick?" asked the doctor.

"Could you settle our problem?" asked the red-headed girl, and soon, both kids gave their arguments.

He then put the camcorder on the camera mode, and pressed record to record it.

"Promise to follow my decisions?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Yes Dad," said Brick.

"Yes Doctor," said Blossom.

"Okay. First of all, Brick, it's superfluous to say that what you said in that agreement would make you the leader if you lost. It's simply not logical, it's wrong, and you know that Brick. You lost, and that fact disqualifies you from claiming that you should be the leader based on that agreement you made. Besides, it's not fair to reward you for losing. So I go with Blossom on this one," Dr. Edwards said.

"However Blossom," Dr. Edwards continued, "Brick is also right on whether or not you'll automatically be the leader. You should have listened carefully to the exact words Brick said, and simply not assume what it meant. So even if you won the fight, you said yes in an agreement that does not guarantee you being the leader. So you have an alliance, but as for the leader, the best thing I could say is, Blossom can be considered, as it was said in the agreement, and since there was nothing in it saying Brick can not be considered, he can also be considered. So you two should work out among yourselves on who is the leader."

"Dad, what if we can't decide among ourselves?" asked Brick.

"Well, in that case, if you can't decide by tomorrow night, you could ask me and I'll make the decision for you, if you want?"

"Sure Dad!" Brick said.

"Yes Doctor," Blossom said.

The doctor then left the tent and resumed hauling fish to the shore.

Brick and Blossom glared at each other and gritted their teeth.

Brick felt as if he just dodged a bullet, even if he was humiliated on losing the fight.

Blossom felt as if she was just cheated out of her right to be leader and her victory.

And so the alliance between the two sets of superheroes was finalized, yet who would be the leader remains in doubt.


	8. Hiking and Camping

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 8 - Hiking and Camping**

The City of Townsville, and at the edge on of the lake in the middle of the forest of Dr. Edwards' property…

"Brick, let's gather firewood in the forest," Dr. Edwards suggested.

"Okay Dad!" Brick said.

"Dr. Edwards, I'll help too!" volunteered Blossom, jumping and waving her hands in a show of enthusiasm.

"Thanks Blossom," said the father of the Rowdyruff Boys, "But Brick and I can manage being alone."

"Aw! Is there any way I could help?" asked Blossom.

"Well, if you want to help, you and your sisters could peel, slice and dice the potatoes and other vegetables over there," he said, pointing to a mound of vegetables that he had earlier gathered.

"Um, okay," said Blossom.

"And tell Butch and Boomer when they wake up to clean the fish!"

"Clean the fish?" asked Blossom in bewilderment, scratching her head.

"They'll know what it means," Dr. Edwards curtly replied.

"Okay," said Blossom.

"Good luck!" Brick said, and he and his father disappeared into the forest.

"Girls!" shouted Blossom to her sisters swimming in the lake. "We've got some chores to do!"

"Huh?" said Buttercup, who was enjoying herself.

"I volunteered us to slice and dice those vegetables," explained the Powerpuff leader.

"You what?" Buttercup disbelieving said.

"I said we would help Dr. Edwards prepare our lunch by slicing and dicing those vegetables," Blossom explained.

"Okay, Blossom," said Bubbles. She quickly went to shore, dried up, wore her dress, got a nearby knife, and began to do the work effortlessly.

"Aw shucks! You know what a party pooper you are, Blossom!" Buttercup protested. "Here we are, Bubbles and I, enjoying a swim celebrating our win, when you had the audacity to find work for us to do, and on a weekend even!"

"Oh pshaw, Buttercup," Blossom said, dismissing her criticisms. "It's a good way to thank Dr. Edwards for saving us. We owe him, after all."

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess we have no other choice," Buttercup said. "At least you could've waited until he orders it, not volunteer."

So Blossom and Buttercup joined Bubbles.

"So how does it feel to be the new leader of the Rowdyruff Boys," Bubbles asked in admiration.

"Actually, I'm not the leader—yet!" Blossom asserted. She then explained what earlier happened with the agreement.

"You sneaky devil! So that's why you dragged us out here to do this!" Buttercup said, half in admiration and half in irritation. "You wanted to impress Dr. Edwards so he would pick you as leader tomorrow!"

"Now, why would I do that?" said Blossom in false disbelief. "I'd never do such a sneaky and Machiavellian thing! I only did it out of a sense of gratitude and responsibility! I will let Dr. Edwards choose who in his mind is the best leader and I won't do anything to influence him into choosing me instead of Brick!"

"Keep saying that and you might believe it yourself!" Buttercup said. "I know you and you'll do anything to be the leader."

"I believe you Blossom," Bubbles said, defending her sister. "I believe she was sincere. After all, we're the Powerpuff Girls."

"Well, forget about it," said Buttercup. "There's no way he would choose you over Brick. I mean he is his son for crying out loud! Dr. Edwards is nice and all, but why would the Doctor choose you over his own flesh and blood? Listen, Blossom, I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but you don't have much of a chance, especially since that monster alliance incident."

"That was long ago," Blossom said. "Besides, he and the boys forgave us, and I have as much chance as Brick in being chosen as leader!"

"You're dreaming!" Buttercup said.

"No she's not!" Bubbles said. "I think Blossom has been a great leader and Dr. Edwards know that!"

"Oh you two are impossible," said Buttercup.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dr. Edwards and Brick were walking deeper and deeper into the woods.

"Dad, I think we've come too far. I think that the firewoods o…" Brick said, but stopped when he saw the expression on his father's face. Whereas earlier, it had been pleasant and calm, it was now terrifying. The angry fire in his eyes could clearly be seen, and his mouth was holding a scowl.

And Brick knew he was in trouble.

"Brick, didn't I tell you to not let those girls know about the sunball?" his father asked said in a very loud voice.

"Yes Dad," Brick could only say.

"Then could you explain why those girls used the sunball against you?" asked the doctor.

"Well Dad, we originally planned to use it against the Powerpuff Girls in the fight but…"

"WHAT!" Dr. Edwards shouted, blowing up, his face suddenly turning red. "DIDN'T I GIVE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS THAT YOU WOULD ONLY USE IT WHEN IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY? WHEN YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO USE IT? And since when did your last fight become a life and death struggle? The only thing that that fight was supposed to decide is what kind of alliance you should have! AND YOU ARE WILLING TO ADVERTISE IT TO THE GIRLS JUST BECAUSE OF SUCH A SHALLOW REASON?"

"But Dad, why should it be secret," asked the absolutely terrified Brick.

"Because, it is a top-secret project that I was working on for months! And I don't want anybody else to know about it cause of what might happen if they get their hands on this! Especially the professor! And you know what, those girls will babble it to them!" Dr. Edwards said, lecturing his son.

"Anyway, just how did the girls get their hands on it?" asked the doctor.

"Uh, well, uh, we were bathing naked in the lake, and they hid our clothes. The sunball and the shades are in the stolen clothes," explained Brick.

"Not only are you reckless in using this ball in the fight, you're also careless! Imagine if it was a real life and death battle, and this happened! Do you think that they'll just say I win and let it go at that? No! You'll be dead before you can even say Rowdyruff Boys!"

"But Dad, if this is so important, and if you want to keep this as I surprise, why did you give it to us?" asked Bricked.

"Because I TRUSTED you," Dr. Edward said in a softer voice, calming down a bit. "And still do. But I'm very disappointed in you. I gave you the sunball in the hopes that you would use it wisely and sparingly. I also gave it to you because someday you might need it, example, when there is a new and powerful unexpected enemy, and this might give you some kind of advantage. But that is why you shouldn't use it until you need it! Also because I don't want anybody else knowing it so that when you do use it, it'll be a complete surprise! And only when you needed it the most! I gave you clear instructions that you on when to use it. _How can you be the leader of the Powerpuff Girls if you could be so irresponsible_?"

"And now, it's an open secret! The girls will probably tell the professor, and from there, who know till the sunball will appear on CNN or on the latest edition of _Popular Electronics_? And the irony is, you could have won if you didn't bring the sunball along."

"One more question," said his father. "What are your brothers' roles in this?"

"They just followed orders Dad," Brick said, defending them. "It's all my fault, since I was the one whom you trusted with the ball, and I was the one who made the decision."

"Is that so?" Dr. Edwards said.

Brick was looking at the ground, unable to look his father in the eye. He knew his father is right. Worst of all, he let his father down. 'He trusted me, and I failed because…now there's no excuse. I failed him, I let him down! After all he's done for us, I failed.' He now clenched his fist, breathed heavily, tears in his eyes struggling to burst forth, yet he somehow mustered the will not to cry his heart out. "I'm sorry Dad. I have no excuse. Please forgive me," he finally blurted out.

His father dropped to his knees and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Son, of course I forgive you. You're sorry, and that's what matters. And I'm sorry if I blew up on you," he said in a firm, yet comforting voice. "Brick, I still trust you. I'm proud of you. You're an excellent leader Brick, and you just showed it by not blaming your brothers for your mistakes. Yet you have still much to learn, but I know you're a quick study. Come on, let's go and gather the firewood, okay?" he said. This time, his face is back to his old pleasant demeanor, and this time he smiled. It amazes Brick on how his father could change external emotions as quickly and as flawlessly as he could. But it shouldn't amaze him that much, because Brick could do the exact same thing except when facing his father. The two spent the next half hour or so talking and telling stories and swapping jokes, as if Dr. Edwards didn't give a very scalding scolding earlier to Brick.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Um, what happened," said Butch as he groggily awoke. He removed his bandage and stretched. At the same moment, Boomer also woke.

"What happened?" asked Butch.

"We lost," Boomer simply said. "Now Blossom is our leader." He didn't know about Brick's word manipulations.

"Yup, that girl is our leader," Butch said with disgust as he and his brother went out the tent to see what was happening.

"Hey boys, clean those fishes over there!" Blossom shouted.

"Um, so cleaning those fishes are your first orders as the new leader, Blossom?" Boomer said, hardly concealing his disgust, not on cleaning the fishes, but on having to do orders from Blossom.

'So they think I am the leader already,' Blossom thought. 'This could be fun.' And conveniently, Brick and his father was gathering firewood. "Of course! We won the fight, and therefore, I am the leader! Right Bubbles and Buttercup?"

Bubbles and Buttercup looked at each other, and grinned. "Yup, you lost," Bubbles said. "Now Blossom is now your leader, not Brick!"

"Now listen here…" Butch began.

"Forget it Butch. Let's just wait for Brick. In the meantime, let's clean those fishes. It's not like we haven't done this a million times before," Boomer advised.

"Yeah, but Dad's the one who told us so, not her," Butch argued as he got a knife and slashed opened the throat of the fish. He then passed it on to Boomer who with his hands removed the guts, gizzards and liver of the fish, and threw it in a bucket. He then washed the fish in another bucket of water.

"Hey Bubbles, could you bring those sliced vegetable over here," Boomer asked.

"Okay," said Bubbles. She gave it to Butch.

Butch then stuffed the vegetables inside the fish-in the place where the guts and other organs were removed. He then took a barbeque stick and forced it into the fish's mouth and through the tail. He then put in a nearby metal pan that was earlier prepared by Dr. Edwards. And it was all neatly and efficiently done, like a professional.

The girls, needless to say, were completely grossed out by what they saw. The boys hands by this time was very dirty. "Eeew!" Bubbles said. "How can you do something as disgusting as that!"

"We have too!" Boomer simply said. "Dad taught us how to do this, and the fish would be much tastier! Believe me, this is a delicacy after you've cooked it! You want to try it?"

The girls shuddered at the thought. It was disgusting. Still, they admired the clean job the boys were doing.

Soon, about a hundred fish-cleaned and stuffed-neatly piled in a large flat metal pan. "Now all we have to do is wait for Dad and Brick, and we could cook it and eat it all up!" Boomer said, his mouth already watering.

"Now what does leader girl wants us to do now?" Boomer asked Bubbles, even if Blossom was already in front of them, which only infuriated Blossom. Boomer simply couldn't stand Blossom.

Fortunately, Brick and Dr. Edwards arrived.

"How are you, Butch, Boomer," their father greeted as he saw his sons recovered.

"Great Dad!" Boomer and Butch said, though their tone obviously belies it.

"Now why the long face," asked the doctor.

"Well, we lost and we're now taking orders from Blossom," Butch explained, "because she's our leader."

"Yeah, she ordered us to clean those fish," Boomer said as he pointed out the neat stack of fish.

Dr. Edwards chuckled, attempting to suppress a guffaw, but quickly regained control. Brick just angrily glared at a smirking Blossom, then smirked at his brother. He then fell down on the ground laughing.

"What's so funny!" asked Boomer and Butch

"Well…Blossom is not the leader!" Dr. Edwards explained.

"How could that happen?" asked Butch. "We lost."

Brick then explained what happened. "It seems those girls pulled one over you!"

The girls just watched quietly, thought they were laughing in their heads.

Both Butch and Boomer were by this time red faced, embarrassed. "How should we know about that? I mean, I thought you agreed that if they won, Blossom would be the leader?"

Soon, the girls just collapsed in laugher at Blossom's trick.

Boomer and Butch were embarrassed, and looked angrily at Blossom. They now dislike the leader of the Powerpuff Girls more than ever.

"Boys, cook those fishes," Dr. Edwards ordered. The boys then cooked it with their laser eyes. After a few minutes, they ate lunch, with Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles eating two each, Dr. Edwards eating five, Brick eating fifteen while Boomer and Butch eating thirty each. The girls just watched in amazement as the boys ate all of it in just under half an hour.

"I still couldn't believe that this family could eat so much," Bubbles said to Blossom.

"I'm with you," said Blossom.

After lunch, the boys cleaned up the fishbones by incinerating it, while the girls cleaned up the kitchen utensils that the doctor brought along.

"Well, you kids have some fun now!" Dr. Edwards said as he prepared a hammock besides the lake. "I'm going to have a siesta. We'll do the hike at three, okay?"

"Okay," said the kids. The girls scrambled to the lake to swim, while the boys disappeared into the forest, exploring it. Bubbles tried finding the boys, but they simply disappeared. Disappointed, she just joined her sisters.

* * *

Three hours later, at three o'clock in the afternoon…

"Where are those boys!" shouted Dr. Edwards. The girls were packing their bags for the planned mountain hike, and the doctor packed the boys'.

* * *

Thirty minutes later…

The doctor and the girls were talking about the planned hike when the boys finally arrived.

"You're late," the doctor simply said. "What took you so long?"

"Well, see Dad. Um, ahh. Well we went, um, some part of the forest, and, uhh, we went to the tree house, and we lost track of time, and well uh…" Brick began, stuttering, clearly trying to find an excuse, but failing miserably.

"But you have watches, you lost track of time?" Blossom asked

"Well, 'cause the batteries went dead," Boomer said, giving a tortured smile, though it's obvious he doesn't even believe it.

"But those watches are still working," said Blossom, catching a glimpse of their watches. "Are you telling us that when you were in the forest it went dead and when you returned, it went back again?"

"Yeah, that's right, well I never knew that this watch…" Boomer began.

"Can it Boomer," Brick suddenly said, utterly embarrassed. "To tell you the truth, we fell asleep, and we well…just overslept?" he lamely offered, scratching the back of his head and snickering.

"Didn't you set the alarms in your watches?" Dr. Edwards asked.

"We forgot," Butch lamely offered.

"You know," Buttercup whispered to Bubbles, "if they keep this up, I think Blossom might after all be the leader."

Bubbles just nodded.

"Never mind," said the doctor. "I already packed your bags. Anyway, since you know this parts so well, and made so many hikes up the mountain to boot, I don't think I need to remind you what you should do."

"Yes Dad," the three said.

"And remember, no using of superpowers!" said Dr. Edwards. "It wouldn't be as much fun if you use it. Don't worry, the boys are experts at this!"

So the boys and girls hiked up the mountain. The girls were a little unsure and stumbled a lot, since they were not used to hiking up a mountain using their feet and not using any superpowers. And the fact that they had heavy bags on their backs. But the boys, even while grumbling, helped them so it wasn't so bad.

However, they can't help but admire the sure-footedness of the boys. They hopped and jumped around the very narrow and sometimes steep paths like they were walking in a flat road, and they didn't even use their superpowers. But it was offset by the boys' continuing taunting of the girls.

"So how did you learn to do all this stuff?" Bubbles finally asked.

"Simple, Dad taught us everything! He's simply the greatest!" Boomer replied. "Now, even if our superpowers are taken away, we'll still be number one!"

A few hours later, the seven reached their destination. It was a plateau at the edge of the mountain. There was clump of trees at its side, and the flat ground was covered with grass and dirt. There were a bundle of chopped firewood near the middle, with an ax nearby. And if you stand at the edge of the plateau, you would see all of the forest below and Dr. Edwards' house and several suburban houses. They could even see the girls' own house from a distance. And the fact that there always was a cool breeze blowing in summer made it even more appealing.

'It's beautiful!' Blossom thought. 'The boys are so lucky to live in this place—and have Dr. Edwards as their father.' She felt a tinge of jealousy at the boys, but quickly dismissed it.

* * *

A few hours later…

It was dark, and the boys, the girls and Dr. Edwards sat around a bonfire, eating the last remnants of their dinner. Basically, they ate less this time, eating hotdogs and marshmallows on the stick.

The doctor could sense the tension that was building between the two sets of superheroes.

"Hey. How about we do a sing-along?" suggested Boomer.

"Not that!" Butch shouted. "Anything but that!"

"Hey, how about Truth or Dare?" Bubbles suggested.

"Truth or what? What's that?" asked Brick.

"Truth or Dare, Brick," Dr. Edwards said. "Basically, one of you would ask the other whether you would choose truth, or dare."

"If you choose truth," Blossom continued, "you must answer all questions TRUTHFULLY."

"And if you choose dare, you must do anything I tell you," Buttercup concluded.

"So what do you think guys, are you game?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, I don't know," Brick said.

"What are you, chicken?" taunted Buttercup.

"Well, okay, I guess," Brick said.

"I'll start," Dr. Edwards said. "Butch, truth or dare!"

"Dare!"

"Okay, I want you to sing a nursery song in your loudest voice."

"Okay," Butch said. "ABCDEFG…HIJKLMNOP…QRSTUV…WXYZ." He sang at the top of his voice, his bad tone eliciting laughter from the others.

"Okay my turn. Buttercup, truth or dare," he asked.

"Dare!"

"I dare you to punch Bubbles hard in the face!"

"Hey," Bubbles protested, "that's…"

But before she could finish, Buttercup proceeded and punched her, sending her near the edge of the woods.

Bubbles angrily flew back to the camp.

"Hey, it's only a dare, sorry," Buttercup said.

"It's okay," said Bubbles.

"Now, Brick, truth or dare!" Buttercup challenged.

"Truth," he said.

"Okay, tell us your greatest failure as leader of the boys," asked Buttercup with a sly grin.

Brick shuddered at the question, especially since his Dad is going to choose the leader the next day. Basically answering the question would amount to telling his Dad not to choose him. But he was caught, and had no choice.

"Well, my greatest failure is when…just before the second fight. Butch boasted that we're in alliance with Mojo. It was a big colossal mistake on my part, and I shouldn't have backed Butch on it, and I should've apologized sooner to you," Brick said in a soft voice that lowered the mood of the entire group. "Blossom, truth, or dare!"

"Dare!" Blossom said.

Brick smirked. "I dare you to make a grand speech telling why I am such a wonderful and great leader."

Blossom stared wide-eyed at Brick. The rest looked at Blossom, everyone knowing that both are rivals for leadership.

"Okay. I want to say unto you all what Brick is one great leader of the Rowdyruff Boys! He's smart, clever, sneaky! He's a great strategist and tactician, and is proud of his brothers and his family. That is why Brick is such a great leader."

'Did you see the look on Blossom's face?' Buttercup whispered to Bubbles. She had a pained facial expression that belies the words. Not because she doesn't believe it—she does—but the timing of her saying it.

"But even though Brick is such a great leader," Blossom concluded, "I know I am greater still!"

She then triumphantly sat down, smirking at Brick. "What? I did as you told. And you never, never said I couldn't praise myself while I'm at it!"

Soon, the rest of them laughed, even his brothers, as Brick's mouth fell out and he got a disappointed look. Blossom clearly had outfoxed him there.

"Bubbles, truth or dare!"

"Dare!" Bubbles said.

"I dare you to kiss Boomer in the lips!" Blossom dared.

Bubbles blushed. Boomer got absolutely hysterical.

"Oh no, I'm not going to get myself cooties!" Boomer said, and attempted to run away, but he was blocked by Brick.

"Get out of my way Brick!" Boomer shouted.

"Why? I don't intend to be the only one to be embarrassed this night!" Brick said then gabbing him by the arm.

"Let go of me!" Boomer shouted, as he tried to shake off Brick's powerful grip. Butch joined and grabbed his legs. They then dragged Boomer kicking and screaming-literally, over to Bubbles!

"_**Let go of me! I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to be kissed by Bubbles! Let me go! I promise to do anything, anything! Just let me go! Please! Let me go, or I'll hate you forever if you don't! Aaaahhhhh! Damn you Brick and Butch, what kind of brothers are you! Let go of me! You are the two are absolutely the worst brothers in the world! No wait I mean you are the best brothers in the entire universe…get off of meGrrr….Get off me! Don't let that girl kiss me! I might explode! Dad, help me! Bubbles is the one who was given the dare, not me! I'll get back at you, Brick, Butch, just you wait!"**_

"Oh shut up!" Butch snapped. Dr. Edwards just watched, not wanting to interrupt their fun.

Buttercup then held Boomer's head to prevent him from shaking it.

"OKAY, OKAY!" Boomer shouted. "I'll let her kiss me in the lips, but that doesn't mean I'll like it! In fact I'll hate it! Now let go of me!"

"Okay, but don't try and escape this time, or else," Brick warned. So the let go of him, but the four ruff and puffs stood around him just in case he tried anything.

"Okay Bubbles," Blossom said. "Time to do your dare, or are you chicken like Boomer?"

Bubbles was by this time red with blushing. She slowly floated over to Boomer. Boomer watched in dread. He just closed his eyes. Soon, he felt Bubbles kiss him.

Now, older boys and men would probably feel terrific after being kissed, or feel high, but Boomer is just a six-year-old boy, and like most boys his age, hate being kissed by a girl. He was disgusted, and he promptly wiped his lips. He then ran towards the tent, shouting, "Oh no, I have cooties!" drank water, and spent the next three minutes spitting on the ground. "Yuck, yuck, yuck! I have been kissed by a girl! I'm dooommmmmeeeeeeddddd!"

The red and green puffs and ruffs just looked at Boomer, and collapsed in laughter. Even Dr. Edwards laughed at his son. Bubbles was embarrassed by Boomer's reaction. 'Am I that ugly?" she asked herself.

* * *

Ten minutes later, after all the laughter had subsided…

"Um, Brick, truth, or dare," said Bubbles.

"Truth," Brick said. Nobody would pick dare after what happened to Boomer.

"Okay, um, what do you really think about Blossom?" asked Bubbles.

"That's easy. She's my rival, plain and simple. She's a brilliant leader and tactician, but short on tact. She's sneaky, devious and downright underhanded. And I think I'm better than her," Brick replied.

"My turn. Blossom, truth, or dare!"

"Truth!"

"Okay. Now tell me Blossom, why did you have a criminal record at the police station? You were sentenced to community service right?"

"Is that true Blossom?" asked Dr. Edwards. Even though all of Townsville knew about it, Dr. Edwards didn't know it, so he was surprised.

"Yes Doctor," said Blossom, glaring at Brick for digging dirt at her. "You see, it was father's day, and the Professor wanted golf clubs worth $1000, or is it 2000? Anyway, I was so desperate to give it to him, and to have a better present than my sisters, and I have no money, so I stole it. And I got the Professor jailed because of that, and I tried to frame Mojo for it. Finally, my lies caught up with me, and I was caught. Yes, I was sentenced to do community service, and I deserve it too." Blossom looked to the ground, not able to look the doctor in the eye. "I'm sorry doctor, I should have told you earlier."

Blossom felt down. "But I want to tell you that I've learned my lesson from it, and I would never do that again."

Dr. Edwards was overwhelmed and surprised by it all, but Blossom's narrative only generated sympathy for her. "That's all right, Blossom. You have no obligation to tell us what happened, and I'm glad you put it behind you. Brick, that was very mean of you to bring this up! I want you to apologize."

Brick looked at his father, and Blossom and her sisters, and they were giving him dirty looks. His plan backfired spectacularly. "I'm sorry Blossom. I shouldn't have dug it up," he said, and he sounded sincere too.

"It's okay," said Blossom, a little more upbeat. "Now you know that slinging mud doesn't work."

"Okay, Butch, truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

"When did you last take a bath?"

"This morning," Butch easily answered.

"Buttercup. Truth or Dare!"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to chew this chilly pepper and act as if it's nothing for two minutes,"

Buttercup took it, and chewed. Butch took a stopwatch and began counting. Soon, they could hear Buttercup breathe heavily, and her face getting twisted.

"Okay, the two minutes are up!"

"WATER!" Buttercup shouted, running towards the tent. She soon consumed two bottles of water.

"Brick, truth or dare!"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to remove your cap! Don't look at me, I haven't seen Brick without a cap yet!"

Brick removed his cap, and the girls saw for the first time Brick short red hair that is neatly combed and hidden under the cap.

"Blossom."

"Dare!"

"Okay, take off your bow!"

"Sure!" Blossom said. She then removed the bow, and let her long red hair hang loosely from her back.

"Wow! I've never thought that girl has so much hair," Butch said.

"Yup. She's got as much red hair as she's got hot air," Boomer cracked, and that caused a few laughs from the others.

Before they could continue, Dr. Edwards cellphone rang.

"Hello," Dr. Edwards greeted.

"Hi William!" said the Professor.

"John? How are you? How's the conference?"

"I should've listened to you!" the Professor said. "It's an utter bore. I spent more time sleeping than listening to all those blowhards who call themselves scientists. By the way, can I talk to my girls? I was only gone a few days and I already miss them."

"Sure thing. By the way, I want to talk to you about something important. Could you spare me your time after talking to the girls?"

"Of course."

The call terminated the truth and dare game. The doctor gave his cell phone to Blossom and began preparing the sleeping bags. The boys began to play and talk among themselves. Brick told them about his Dad scolding them because of the sunball.

All agreed that the day was a disaster for them.

* * *

The girls talked to the Professor for half-an hour. After that, they gave the phone to Dr. Edwards.

"John, I'd like to ask you something. You see, I have some things in my lab that I couldn't figure out. How would like to work for me? I'd promise I'll give you fat juicy salary, of say, a hundred thousand dollars a month?"

The Professor balked at the offer. "Um, thanks, but no thanks. I consider you my friend, and whatever work that I do with you, I wouldn't take money for it. I'd help you, but not as your employee. I want to be a full and equal partner, William."

"Is that all? Of course you'll be an equal partner. Tell you what. Go to my house after you return and we'll talk about it further. I've got so many things that I must know, and I need you to help me."

"Sure, William," Professor Utonium said.

"Thanks John. One more thing. Well, I've got to ask you, how is Blossom as a leader of her sisters?"

"Well, Blossom is an excellent, great leader. She's responsible, a brilliant tactician and strategist, has great moral character, loves her sister, always fights for what's right. She is a great inspiration to her sisters and she's nice and kind too. She's smart too, and always tops her class. The only thing is that she's cocky, but it's not too bad. Why?"

"Oh nothing, just curious," said the doctor. "Thanks, and bye."

He hung up the phone and called Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane to have their opinions on Blossom. All of them sang praises on how great Blossom is as a leader.

He soon slept.

* * *

It was Sunday, September 7.

It was two o'clock in the morning, and most of the gang are asleep in their sleeping bags. Except for Brick and Boomer, who was standing besides the cliff, wearing thick jackets as the cold wind blows against him and his brother.

They were just standing there, staring at the suburbs below and their land, saying nothing to each other.

"What are you guys doing?" Bubbles suddenly said as she appeared between the two boys.

"Huh, oh it's only you," Brick said. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I can't sleep," she simply said. "Then I saw you guys and decided to join you."

"Okay," said Brick as both he and Boomer resumed their gazing.

"Just no kissing," Boomer added.

"Um, I never told you this, but your land is beautiful!" said Bubbles, trying to open up a conversation.

"Thanks," Boomer simply said, before resuming his gazing.

"Um, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Bubbles suddenly asked, for a second time trying to start a conversation.

"To be whatever Dad wants me to be," Brick simply said.

"Yup! Whatever ambition Dad has for us is what I want to be!" Boomer said.

Bubbles was surprised by their answer. "You love your Dad that much, don't you?"

"Love him? Yes, we love him," said Brick. "How could we not? He recreated us and gave us everything. And we can't ever repay what he's done for us."

"Yup! Dad's the greatest man on earth, or the universe. When I grow up, I just want to be a scientist just like him!" Boomer said.

"And when I grow up, I want to have as much power as he has! I want to be the next President of Edtech Corp.," Brick said with pride. "And all we have to do is to make him proud of us! We know we love him, but we want to make it all worth to him! That is why I can accept it if Dad chose Blossom leader. Because if Dad chose her, and that is enough for us."

"Yup, Dad's my hero, and my role model."

Bubbles listened to the brothers. "You know, I've never met anyone who praises or admires their father as much as you have. Well, I guess Dr. Edwards deserves it, since he is a nice man. You're lucky to have him."

"Yup, we are," Brick said.

* * *

A few hours later, at about seven in the morning…

"Well, let's see if we can settle this by ourselves," Brick said. "I suggest you bow down to me as leader!"

"No! I should be the leader!" Blossom countered.

"I guess we wouldn't be able to settle it by ourselves, huh?" Brick said. "Well, I guess we have to ask Dad what he thinks."

"Promise to abide by whatever ruling he makes on this?" asked Blossom.

"Promise," Brick said.

So each of them called on their respective siblings, and the six of them floated to Dr. Edwards.

"Dad, we can't settle it. Could you decide who among us will be the leader?" asked Brick.

"Okay," said Dr. Edwards. "But first, I want to know why each of you wanted to be the leader. You first Brick."

Brick didn't expect this, so he was unprepared. "Well Dad, I think I can do a better job than Blossom."

"And why do you think you can do a better job?" asked the doctor.

"Because I'm better than her!" Brick answered defiantly.

"Okay, Blossom, why do you think you should be the leader?" asked the doctor.

"Well, doctor, I think I'm better than Brick because I have a years experience at crimefighting and monster-fighting. I know all the places in Townsville, the villains, most of the criminals, and know the mayor. I also can guide Brick and the boys to be better superheroes because of our experience," Blossom said, saying it in a humble manner.

"Okay. Now as to who I think should be the leader. Sorry Brick, I think Blossom's better qualified leading this alliance. Blossom, you'll be the new leader of the alliance!" Dr. Edwards decided.

The boys' mouth fell open, not believing it, but finally manage to say, "Yes Dad."

Blossom grinned. "I told you my plan would work!" she shouted, and began hopping around with Buttercup, gloating. She achieved her objective, an alliance with the boys with her as leader.


	9. Bubbles, Brick, and Boomer's Quid Pro Qu...

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 9 - Bubbles, Brick and Boomer's Quid Pro Quo**

The City of Townsville, and at four in the morning, September 8…

A small man, about 5'6", wearing black, with a dark shades covering his eyes and a mask his mouth and gloves, stealthily walked across the Edwards' front yard. Reaching the door, he quickly grabbed some fine wires from his pocket, and plucked the keyhole. The door opened, and the would-be burglar entered.

Dr. Edwards rose from his bed. Still in his PJs, he groggily walked towards the kitchen.

The thief quietly made his way to the kitchen, where he saw a tall man with thick glasses opening the refrigerator and sampling some desserts. He drew his gun, and pressed it against the back of the doctor's head.

"Don't move, or I'll blow your brains out," the thief quietly said.

Dr. Edwards shuddered when he felt the cold barrel of the gun in the back of his head, and stiffened.

"Dr. Edwards, I presume?" he asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Good. Now, direct me to the place where you store the data on your latest inventions and discoveries, particularly the one about the hide of the monster you bought," ordered the thief. "And don't try anything funny, or your floor would be decorated with the pieces of your broken skull and brain!"

"Okay, just don't shoot," the doctor said. "Just follow me."

The doctor, still sleepy and groggy despite all of this, or at least giving the outside impression of such, led the thief towards one of his rooms. It was a room cluttered with scattered papers, several pens, spilled computer ink, scattered books, and a lone desktop with scanner, printer, speakers and an internet connection in a table connected to a socket. There were no other things in it.

"Burn the data on this CD," the thief ordered.

He opened the computer. He did just as he was told. He burned several pieces of data in it.

"Is that all there is to it?" the thief asked after several minutes.

"Yup, I've already copied all my data on that disc!" Dr. Edwards said.

The thief smirked, then pressed the insert then entered, then made a combinations of keys, then esc and 0.

"Virus infection activated!" the computer warned. "Terminating data in hard drive! Sparing data in drive D."

"Ha! Now that I've got the data on the disc," the thief said as he put the CD in a case, "you won't need those!"

He half expected the doctor to have an angry look or at least an annoyed face for losing all his data, but he detected none. In fact, it showed the face of a man pleased with himself.

It surprised the thief. But he dismissed his concerns as he again pointed his gun at the doctor. "Now, go back to the living room."

The doctor did as asked. When they reached the living room, they stopped.

"Now, I'm going to shoot you," the man said in a low voice.

"But you said…" the doctor began.

"I didn't say anything about not killing you, did I?" said the thief. "I have what I came for, and you have outlived your usefulness. The master only needed this," he said, referring to the disc in his other hand. "Now, you will be disposed of so only he, the master, would have the knowledge that you laboriously accumulated. Now, turn around so I can see the look on your face when I blow your brains out."

The six foot doctor turned, but as he did, he suddenly grabbed the arm holding the gun and pointed it at the ceiling. The surprised thief dropped the disc on the floor while he concentrated on grabbing the gun. The doctor's powerful grip convinced him, however, to throw the gun towards the corner of the living room to prevent it from falling into the doctor's hands.

It was a big mistake, since the six-feet tall doctor is much stronger than the five foot six thief, and a punch later, he was reeling towards edge of the room. The doctor then rolled his sleeves and was about to lunge at the thief when the burglar grabbed a small gun from another pocket and shot at the direction of the doctor.

But instead of seeing a dead Dr. Edwards, what he saw is a red-faced red-haired angry boy in his PJs floating in front of the doctor clutching the bullet.

The thief looked around and saw five more figures, mere children, surrounding him. Two were red-faced boys who was very angry and looking at him with hate, three were girls in their nightgowns scowling at them.

"Who are you?" said the thief asked without a trace of fear.

"We're the Rowdyruff Boys," Brick shouted.

"And the Powerpuff Girls, now known as the Ruff-Puff Alliance!" Blossom shouted.

"And that is the last thing you'll ever ask. You're going to pay for trying to kill Dad! Boomer, Butch, kill him!" Brick ordered.

"Wait!" Dr. Edwards shouted. "Not yet. I want to know who sent him."

"Okay, doctor," Blossom said. "Butch, Boomer, grab some rope. We'll tie him up and interrogate him."

The two brothers looked at Blossom, glaring. "Hey, you just can't…"

"Butch, Boomer, need I remind you that Blossom's the leader?" Brick snapped. "Now do it!"

The two brothers looked at their brother in surprise. They saw the glare Brick was giving them and they knew better than to defy him at such a moment.

"Thanks Brick. Buttercup, take the phone and call the police. We're going to interrogate him while waiting for the police," Blossom said.

But before anybody could do anything, the man suddenly clutched his neck and began making coughing sounds. Soon, he fell to the ground.

The doctor immediately went over him and checked his pulse and breathing. "He's dead."

"Boomer, get my medical instruments!"

A minute later, the doctor, using his instruments, began checking the body. Five minutes later, he said, "I can't believe this. This guy is young and he died of stroke!"

"Stroke? How convenient! He gets captured and dies of stroke before we could get anything out of him," Brick said.

"I suspect it's foul play," Dr. Edwards said. "But we can't say for sure until we know all the facts. I think we should let the forensics team at the police department to handle this." He then removed the shades from his eyes and his faced turned to white, as did his sons and the girls.

The man's eyes had no pupil or retina, only the white cornea. It was so bone chilling that the doctor immediately dropped the dead man's eyelids to avoid looking at it. The rest shuddered at it.

"What was that?" Butch asked.

"I've never seen any human who has only whites in their eyes!" Bubbles said.

"We've got to investigate this!" Blossom said.

"Girls, boys, it already five-thirty in the morning so you better get ready for school. I'll handle this!" Dr. Edwards said after recovering from shock.

"But…" Blossom began.

"Your education is important. This is something the police can handle," the doctor said. "This is not a villain and a monster. Buttercup, have you called the police yet?"

"Yep, they're on their way already!" Buttercup said.

"Good. The Professor's gonna arrive this afternoon and I want you to pack your bags before going to school. Don't worry about bringing it to school, I'll give it to the professor when he arrives today," Dr. Edwards directed.

* * *

A few hours later…

The children were now at school, and about a dozen police were scrounging the premises for clues. Well, as far as the police were concerned, they actually spilled more donut crumbs at the carpet than pick clues from it, but they did pick up the body and put it in the crime lab. Police Chief Alexander Grulp, probably the only one in the force with a decent IQ, was talking to Dr. Edwards.

"So you said that this man, who has no color in his eyes, just white?"

"Yes Chief," the doctor said.

"And he died of a stroke when you cornered him," asked Grulp.

"If you perform an autopsy, I'm sure you'll confirm what I said. Anyway, the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys were witnesses, and I've got the entire scene caught by videotape by my surveillance cameras," Dr. Edwards said defensively.

"Don't worry, I believe you," Grulp said. "Anyway, do you know anyone who might have an interest in stealing your data?"

"I think Spencer Morebucks has an interest in getting information about that hide that I just bought," Dr. Edwards said, "though I have no proof. He certainly would have the motivation. But so would my other business rivals. Still, I won't make any judgment on who would do such a thing. I just want to say that what I have is so valuable that they'd probably kill for it. It will kill the competition to say the least."

"I'm sorry to hear that, to lose all those data," said the chief.

"Don' t worry, that computer that was hacked is just junk. What I stored in the CD is the formula for Einstein's relativity theory, which is already well know in the scientific community, and therefore useless," Dr. Edwards said.

"Yeah. Anyway, I should warn you. This man obviously isn't working alone. That reference to master, and the fact that he was killed—there has got to be foul play. I just can't believe he will die of stroke when you're in your mid-twenties, it's too much of a coincidence! It means that someone wants to get that data and information badly, and, and then wants to get or kill you," Grulp said. "And the fact that he was able to kill him using stroke meant that we're dealing with no ordinary group here."

"I already know that," said the doctor.

"Just be careful, doctor," said Grulp. His cellphone rang.

"Hey chief!"

"What is it, Kaczinsci?" asked Grulp.

"You won't believe, this, sir, but not only has this guys no eyes, but he also has no fingerprints to speak of. He's fingers area as smooth as silk, sir."

"What, they've got no fingerprints?" asked the chief in disbelief.

"No fingerprints?" asked the doctor in disbelief.

"And chief, we tried DNA testing, and we found no match. It's as if this guy didn't exist at all. He has no records in anything whatsoever!" Kaczinsci said. "It's as if he just popped in from nowhere and tried to get the doctor."

"William, could I call you William? After all, we were classmates before?" asked the chief.

"Of course. Just don't call me Bill or Billy or Will or Willy. I hate those nicknames. But can I call you Alexander," Dr. Edwards said.

"Just Alex, William. Anyway, William, you are both a scientist and a doctor, right?" asked Grulp.

"Yes Alex."

"Okay, could you come to the police lab with us William?" asked Grulp. "You could help us more than those idiots assigned there."

"Of course, anything to help the investigation, Alex," Dr. Edwards said.

* * *

Meanwhile…

It is lunch time, and the boys and girls had just eaten their fill. They are now floating near the ceiling to avoid the others kids from mobbing them or from eavesdropping.

"Damn it, he just have to die! Before I could kill him!" Butch ranted, swinging his fist.

"Um, Butch, I'd like to kick his ass until it bleeds, but isn't killing him a bit too much?" Buttercup asked.

"Not when he's threatening Dad," Butch said. "I won't hesitate to open his bowels while he still alive and eat his liver before his very eyes before grabbing his heart and ripping it off just for the satisfaction of it! That's what I would have done with Mojo had not Dad stopped us! And if he did kill Dad, I'll grind his bones bit by bit and rip his guts out before doing him in! And I won't use anesthesia on him."

Buttercup was struck by the savage thoughts of her counterparts. Sure, she was also ruthless, but she would never even think of killing anybody.

"That's not nice!" Bubbles suddenly said. "I don't think you should kill anybody, no matter how evil they are!"

"Yeah, I promise Dad I won't kill anybody, but I draw the line when someone threatens my Dad! There should be no mercy for them!" Butch said.

"Boomer here won't kill anybody, right Boomie?" asked Bubbles.

"Don't call me that. Yes, I won't kill the guy if it were left to me. I'd rather beat him up silly, rip his arm off and legs off in the most painful way," said Boomer, "but I'll let him live. He'd be a cripple for the rest of his life, and in pain too!"

"Nah, you guys are wasteful. A simple laser eyes to put a hole in his heart would be the most efficient," Brick said. "He'll die quickly, and you won't have to exert any effort at all. Anyway, Blossom, you've got much more experience here than us. Could you tell us whom you'd think could be behind all of this?"

Blossom recovered from being dumbstruck and shock by all the talk of killing by the boys. "Well, there's Mojo, he's the most logical one since he is also a scientist, there's Princess, since his Dad owns a multimillion dollar corporation and is your Dad's competitor, there's the Gang Green Gang, Sedusa, Fuzzy Lumpkins, the Amoeba Boys, and I think that rounds up the villains in Townsville."

"Okay, so any one of them could be the one who sent that killer on Dad," Brick said. "I propose that we preemptively strike them. Kill them so that they would never get the chance to attack Dad again!"

"Brick, there would be no killing!" Blossom said.

"Why not?" Brick replied.

"Because, it's wrong."

"And your point is?"

"My point is, I, as your leader, order you and your brothers to refrain from killing anybody, even if they are villains and they could be behind them!" Blossom sternly said.

Brick glared back, while his brothers also glared at Blossom. Finally, he backed down.

"Okay, no killing. How about this, we frame them for some crime, so they would be behind bars. Or if not, then beat them up enough to scare them," Brick proposed.

"Brick, we can't do that!" Bubbles said.

"Why not?" Buttercup said. "I've beaten them up before for no other reason than to get their teeth, and you've framed Mojo for stealing golf clubs. Then, we've made a deal with Mojo to bust him out of jail to get candies from the mayor. So, if you leave out the killing part, what's the difference?"

"The difference is, we're wrong, and we should have known better," Blossom said. "So, what we would do is to wait for all the evidence to come out, figure out who did it beyond reasonable doubt, and only then should we attack! Not go and beat every villain you see!"

"Look, girl," Butch shouted at Blossom. "You may be the leader, but you can't tell us what to do to protect Dad, and…"

"Oh yes I could! I AM THE LEADER AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" Blossom said, shouting, glaring at Butch. "And I won't take anymore of your insubordination!"

"Oh yea—" Boomer began, but was interrupted by Brick.

"Boomer, Butch, shut up! She's the damn leader of this alliance for crying out loud and whatever she says go!" Brick ordered. "And Blossom, okay, you win. We'll do as you say. But if ever Dad gets harmed by one of those you mentioned because we didn't adopt my plan, then I'm holding you responsible."

Butch and Boomer looked at Brick. Brick, even if he wasn't the leader of the alliance, remained the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, and he commands a lot of respect from his brothers. They have an immense respect for Brick, and backed down, though they were grumbling.

Fortunately, the bell rang. Lunch was over and the six-superpowered kids went to their respective classrooms.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Doctor, we just found something," Kaczinsci said. He then got a small petri dish, and in it were some crystals the size of a pellet. "We found this lodged in the artery leading up to his brain. It's what caused the stroke."

"Odd? How could a crystal become lodged in the artery of a man?" Grulp wondered. "Any ideas, William?"

Dr. Edwards took the sample and put it under a microscope. "Ah ha! Grulp, do you have a remote control or something with infared?"

"Sure," Grulp said. "Kaczinsci, tell Mac to bring the remote here."

Dr. Edwards looked around the lab, and took a bottle of a strange white powder. He then took a glass of blood, and mixed it with the blood. It disappeared, like sugar mixed with boiling hot water.

"As you see, the white powder dissolved into the blood, and without any side-effects. Now, give me the remote."

Dr. Edwards took the remote, and pressed a few buttons, pointing it into the blood sample. Soon, a reaction occurred and soon, solid crystals were forming. "You see, the infared waves caused the dissolved material to lump together, causing it from a solid mass. Now, when the robber was cornered, someone activated an infared device somewhere, causing particles in the blood to lump together, blocking the artery leading to the brain, causing the stroke!"

"Very clever!" said Grulp. "That way, they could take out one of their own, and make it look like death from natural causes."

"Except that everyone knows no healthy man in his mid-twenties die from stroke," said the doctor. "They were thirty years off the mark. If he was sixty, his death would have been less suspicious."

"Yup. And that means that he has a companion, or at least someone was shadowing him," Dr. Edwards said.

"Why do you say that, William? Is there something I missed?" Grulp asked.

"Well Alex, who would press an infared device to crystallize the dissolved particles in the blood?" reasoned the doctor. "He must have shadowed him to ensure that he would not talk if he was captured."

"Well, in that case, I would have to warn you. These people who are after you are no ordinary criminals or gangsters for that matter," Grulp said.

"I already know that. Still, have you encountered this group before?" asked the doctor.

"No," Grulp said, shaking his head.

* * *

A few hours later…

"Listen to this," Boomer said in his room to Butch. Brick was in another room reading a book.

He pressed the play button on the tape recorder.

"So you're not Miss goody two-shoes after all," they heard Brick's voice in the recorder. "So that's the reason why you didn't bother to help my brothers. And why you chose to beat me up while my brothers are in the city. You divided us so you can deal with us one by one. The monsters would keep us busy, while you yourselves deal with me. I must admit, I was impressed by your plan, yet you botched it up big time! And don't be a parrot and keep repeating your damned conditions. We won't surrender to the police and give any bogus confession!"

"You're not entirely wrong Brick," they heard Blossom said. "Our plan was for Tom and the others to soften you up so that you would scream for us to help you from the monster. You being thrown into our clutches was entirely unexpected, but convenient. We decided to keep you here so that your brothers will have less chances winning against the monsters. We used the oldest rule in the book, that is divide and conquer. Those monsters failed and turned out to be evil, but it was remedied because you did our job for us by defeating them. But it did divide you long enough so that we can weaken you one by one. Give up now, boys!"

Boomer pressed the stop button. He then grinned at Butch. "All we have to do is show Dad, and poop! He'll know about the monster alliance, and bye bye Blossom!"

"That's brilliant, Boomer," Butch complimented. "But are you sure Brick will approve of this?"

"Of course!" Boomer said. "He wants to be leader, right? How best to be the leader? By destroying the current leader's reputation, Blossom! Then Dad would have no choice but to choose Brick as the new leader with Blossom discredited!"

"But how did you record this?" asked Butch.

Boomer pointed to his communicator watch. "I've been fiddling at this for quite some time, and by accident I discovered you can record voices here. I just transferred it to a tape to free up some space."

"Now let's go to Brick and tell him the good news!" Butch said.

They then raced to where Brick was reading _Machiavelli._

"Look at this, Brick," said Boomer. "Now, you can be the leader!"

Boomer then played the tape. "All caught on tape. And the best thing is, Blossom won't be able to wiggle her way out of this one, since nobody but us knows about it, and even if she apologizes, they would still be in trouble for not telling earlier!"

"That's brilliant, Boomer," Brick said. "Now, is this the only copy of this conversation?"

"No, no, no!" Boomer said. "I've made three more copies!"

"Get it!" Brick ordered.

Soon, Brick has all the copies of the tape.

"Now, all we need is your go-ahead!" Boomer asked.

"Yup, we could even blackmail Blossom into stepping down and handing it over to you!" Butch added.

"Well, I think not. Sorry, we won't use this tape anytime soon," said Brick.

"What! But you want to be the leader! Why waste this opportunity?" Boomer asked in shock.

"Because it will ruin _my_ plan!" Brick said. "And Dad said something—that I don't have much experience in this kind of things. He's right, like he always is. I want to prove to Dad that I have enough experience to be leader when I become the leader so that he would know that I truly _deserve_ to be leader, not because Blossom deserves it less. I think two or three months under Blossom's shadow will be enough experience, don't you think?"

"But…"

"Besides, it's my fault Blossom's the leader now," Brick said.

"What?" asked Butch.

"Because I made very stupid decisions. We should have rescued the girls from Mojo the moment Dad ordered us to. We should never have even considered using the sunball. And I looked very bad when I tried to smear Blossom over the golf club incident. I made myself look like an immature, mean fool. No—I want Dad to know that I really deserve to be the leader, and slinging mud at Blossom won't convince Dad."

"Also, using that tape would ruin the alliance, and I can't be leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance if it doesn't exist, right?"

"Yeah," Butch said.

"And Boomer, you don't want the reputation of your girlfriend, Bubbles, to be ruined right?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Bubbles shouted, his face red, but then calmed down. "But yeah, I agree, I wouldn't want that to happen to Bubbles."

"So there! You won't use that tape!"

"Why?"

"Well, if you aren't convinced of it yet, because I said so and I order it!" Brick said.

"But that means Blossom we'll remain the leader!" protested Butch.

"So we'll just have to live with that!" Brick said.

"But Boomer and I can't stand her, and I can't stand taking orders from her even more!"

"You won't stand it, but you'll do it," Brick said. "Look, I know how you dislike her, but let me be clear to you, we don't make decisions based on feelings, or what is right or wrong, but on what would be best for Dad and us! Remember, self-interests! That is the magic word! Now, I know that if you use that tape, a whole can of worms will be opened and the damage that would destroy Blossom would also drag us down. And we are in a middle of a crisis. Somebody is trying to get Dad, and we need all the help we can get. In short, it won't be in our interests, and it would certainly damage it if you would use that tape to force Blossom down!"

"But…" Boomer began.

"Look!" Brick continued, glaring at his brothers. "We'll keep these tapes and maybe we'll find some use of it for the future, but for now, I'll keep it."

"Where's your pride man!" Butch shouted. "You'd let yourself and your brothers be pushed around by that girl!"

"Don't ever question my pride!" roared Brick, pointing a finger at him. "Do you really think I will enjoy the next few weeks, playing second fiddle to Blossom? I don't dislike her, I kinda admire her, but you and I know _I HATE TAKING ORDERS FROM ANYBODY BUT MY DAD_! But what's done is done! You can't solve a problem by making it worst! Dad has made his choice, and all of us will respect it, whether you two like it or not! We have to do what's best for our self-interests, even if we don't like, even if we hate it, because if we don't, our pride will even be worst off than before!"

"Now, if Blossom gives you orders, just pretend that it was me giving it!" Brick said in a calmer voice, not anymore raising his voice. "Don't worry, it will only be temporary. After this crisis is over, or in a few months, I'll find a way to grab the leadership position from Blossom, and at the same time make Dad approve of it, and make Buttercup and Bubbles like it, or at least accept it!"

Butch and Boomer were again flabbergasted. Once again, what Brick said made sense.

"Okay, okay, we'll do as you said," Butch said. "Damn it Brick, why do you always have to be right?"

"I guess I was selfish!" Boomer admitted. "But that doesn't mean I won't dislike Blossom less!"

"Well, what should we do about the robber?" asked Butch.

"Well, we should wait for Dad and ask him what the police has said. After that, we ask Blossom and the girls what they know. After that, we'll see where to go from there," Brick said. "I hope the police don't mess up the case, like they did our house."

Boomer then remembered something. "Oh hell! I just remembered! Dad said we should clean the house as part of our punishment! And everyday that he comes home with the house in a mess is one more day grounded!"

"When did he say that?" asked Butch.

"You know, when we lied to the girls about being in cahoots with Mojo?" said Boomer. "And Dad found out! We're still grounded for it, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Brick said in near panic. "Okay, Boomer grab some brooms and I'll take the vacuum while Butch will get the duster?"

Soon, the boys got on a mad scramble to clean the house. And like typical boys, they messed it up more as a result.

Soon, they were near despair, as nothing worked and the house was much worse.

"We're doomed! Doomed I tell you!" Boomer shouted.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Uh oh, Dad's home," Boomer said in terror.

"No, Dad doesn't ring the doorbell! He just opens it when he arrives, and he has a key if its lock. Must be someone else," said Brick. "I'll get it."

Brick opened the door and was surprised to find…

"Bubbles? What are you doing here? And where's your sisters?"

The blond puff was standing alone in front of here house, looking cute, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Well, Buttercup and Blossom are still grounded, but I was grounded for only three days and now I'm not grounded anymore. Well, since I was the only one who could get out of the house, I thought 'why not play with the boys,' well, since we were allies and all I thought we can be friends? So, wanna play?"

By this time, Boomer is standing besides Brick, while Butch was grumbling in the background.

"Well, we would love too, but we need to clean the house," Brick said and explained their plight.

"Oh don't worry, I'll help you clean the house," Bubbles offered.

"Really?" Brick and Boomer said together.

"Yup," Bubbles said, grabbing a mop. "Just do as I do and as I say."

And Bubbles directed the housekeeping of the boys' house. Even Butch followed, though he grumbled. Soon, the house was spic and span.

"Wow," Brick and Boomer said.

"I'd never thought this house could get so clean!" Boomer said. "Thanks Bubbles."

"Bubbles, how about going here every afternoon to help us clean the house?" offered Brick. "That way, Dad won't get mad at us when he comes home from work. In return, we'll let you play with us afterwards!"

Bubbles think for a moment. "Well, I guess, but…"

"But what?" Boomer asked.

"You should apologize to me for making me feel ugly last Saturday?" Bubbles said to Boomer.

"What? Why'd I'd never apologize to anyone except Dad!" Boomer said.

"Well, then the deals off…" Bubbles said.

"Wait, wait. I didn't really mean it," Boomer quickly said. "I just don't want to be kissed by girls or anybody. Please, no kissing! I hate it! So don't feel too bad about it. I'd react the same if any other girl kissed me."

And even though he didn't say the words, 'I'm sorry,' Bubbles figured that that is the best she could get of an as an apology from the proud Rowdyruff, so she accepted it.

"And I know you guys don't like Blossom," Bubbles continued, "but since she's the leader and all, could you at least don't fight with her?"

"It's okay. We won't fight her, right Boomer?" Brick said.

Boomer lips at first we're unmoved. He then saw Bubbles, then Brick. "R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-ight!" he finally said with difficulty.

"Right Butch? Remember what we talked about a while ago?" Brick said.

"Well yeah, okay, but I don't want to repeat it in front of her," Butch derisively said.

"Butch, do it!" Brick said in a loud voice.

"Okay, right," Butch reluctantly said.

"Well, any other conditions?" asked Brick.

"Well, can you be my friends?" asked Bubbles.

Brick and Boomer looked at each other, then grinned.

"Yeah, I guess," Brick said, though it hasn't a hint of enthusiasm in it. "Is that all?"

"Yup," Bubbles said.

"One more thing. Promise not to tell Blossom about his deal?" asked Brick.

"Okay," said Bubbles.

"Okay, so here's the deal. Correct me if I'm wrong Bubbles. You come here every afternoon after school to help us clean our house. In exchange, all we have to do is not fight Blossom and be your friend and play with you afterwards? And this deal is confidential!"

"That's it!" Bubbles said.

"It's a deal! Let's shake on it!" said Brick. And so, Bubbles and Brick shook hands sealing the quid pro quo.

* * *

A few hours later…

Dr. Edwards arrived home. He was surprised to see Brick and Boomer trying to teach Bubbles how to play chess, while Butch was just playing computer games by himself.

"No, you should say check when your piece threatens my king! You couldn't just capture my king without warning!" Brick said. "Dad!"

"Wow! This house, it's so clean! Congratulations!" Dr. Edwards said.

"Well, you should thank Bubbles," Boomer said. "She helped us!"

"Thanks Bubbles. Though I think you should go home now," said the doctor. "It's late, and the professor would be worried if you don't go home."

"Thanks for reminding me," Bubbles said. "I'd had a great time guys! Thanks!"

"Glad she's gone," Brick said after she left. "I'd thought she'd never leave. But her sisters are lucky to have her."

"She's not that bad," said Boomer. "Though I hate it when she she's trying to kiss me. Yuck!"

"So what did you find Dad?" asked Brick.

His father told them all he knew.

"That's horrible!" Brick said.

"Yeah, we'll protect you Dad," Butch said.

"I'm glad to hear it," Dr. Edwards said. "That is why we're going to spend the rest of the night learning all the criminals in Townsville." He then showed them five CDs. "I just borrowed his from the police station. "Contains all the records of criminals in Townsville. Hopefully, we could figure out who's behind these."

And so, the Edwards family spent the rest of the night mulling over criminal records.

**Author Notes**

Ok, I decided to give Dr. Edwards' reasons for choosing Blossom over his son.

1. Dr. Edwards really don't know how arrogant Blossom was, and he doesn't know how Boomer and Butch disliked Blossom.

2. Brick didn't give a coherent argument when Dr. Edwards asked him why he should be chosen leader. He just said, "because I'm better," without giving any actual reason for saying so, unlike Blossom, who actually gave a reason why she should be.

3. Brick made so many mistakes that day. Example, he looked like a meanie when he brought up Blossom's past. He embarrassed himself when he failed to show up in time for the hike and gave a lame explanation that made him look like a fool.

4. Dr. Edwards is still upset over the sunball. He had forgiven him, but it caused doubts to arise over whether or not Brick is mature enough to be leader when he could not even follow a simple instruction as not to let the girls know about it unless an extreme emergency, let alone use it.

5. The incident of Mojo Jojo. That really began doubts about his boys. They learned their lesson, but Dr. Edwards felt they needed more guidance before they could take on the world and not look like a villain or a bully.

6. The reputation of the girls themselves.

7. Dr. Edwards query to the Professor about Blossom. He knows about Brick strength and weaknesses, but he really didn't know Blossom that much, and about her past. Asking the Professor, Ms. Keane and Ms. Bellum all removed remaining doubts about Blossom's abilities.

8. And of course, there is the fact that the girls has so much more experience in the superhero stuff.

Well, there you have it!


	10. Heightened Attacks

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 10 - Heightened Attacks**

The City of Townsville, September 9.

It was Tuesday morning, and the boys had already gone to school. The previous night's all session studying the villains of Townsville made the boys more knowledgeable about crime in Townsville so as to give them an almost encyclopaedic grasp of it, but it left them with no idea on who could be behind it.

The doctor was in his study, lounging around doing nothing. 'Glad I called Blockhead to take the day off. Now I can relax.'

The doorbell rang. 'Wonder who that could be?'

He then went to the surveillance room to check who it is. 'It's only John,' he said, looking at the screen. 'Good thing I had those surveillance cameras installed yesterday. Can't be too careful when men with no color in their eyes and no fingerprints try to steal your secrets.'

Still, he took a gun from under the drawer and put it in his pocket, his left hand fingering the trigger just in case it was some kind of trick. He put on his hat and went to open the door.

"William, it's so you to wear that hat!" John said as Edwards opened the door.

"Oh shove it," Dr. Edwards said. "You know I like to wear hats! In fact, I think Brick might have inherited my love of hats. I've never seen him without a cap or a hat!"

"I'd hate to tell you," the Professor joked, "but technically, your boys and my daughters can't inherit anything, since they were created by Chemical X!"

"Yeah, you're right," the doctor said, "but everyday, I see a piece of me in each of my boys. You know how I am pragmatic, practical, cynical, always want to be on top, always want to lead, arrogant, ruthless, good at history and politics and economics?"

"Yeah?" said the professor.

"Okay, that's enough of the pleasantries," Dr. Edwards said, sharply changing the tone of his voice. "We're still not friends, remember? I still hate you, but I'll be willing to look past that. Anyway, I'm going to show you my latest projects and inventions that I have a difficult time with. I'm sure with you around, we can crack the secrets. But I must warn you, you probably know what happened yesterday. You'll be putting your life at risk by working for, I mean with me."

"Oh stop that tomfoolery, William," John said. "Stop pretending you still hate me! And I've been in riskier situations than this, in fact, I almost got killed in several of them. So bring them on!"

"Also, Brick requested that I give your daughters three communicator watches," Dr. Edwards said, giving the professor three watches colored green, pink and light blue. "Blossom demanded from Brick that they share these because they are now a team, and Brick said yes."

The Doctor then explained the events in the weekend.

"And Brick asked me to ask you to ask the principal to use calls from me using the watches to excuse the girls along with the boys. And tell the mayor and the police that they won't have to use the hotline anymore."

The professor was stunned by all that happened. "Wow. You're gone one weekend and when you come back, everything's changed! Oh well, as long as it's for the best! I'll tell the principal this afternoon."

"Okay," so the doctor led the professor to his lab and the two began working on the monster hide, and several of his inventions, and explaining his sons eating phenomenon.

* * *

It was Tuesday, September 10.

The boys and the girls were at their classrooms, listening to Ms. Cartwright. Brick and Boomer and Blossom were attentive, while Butch was bored, writing some numbers on a piece of paper. Buttercup was looking proudly at her new watch, while Bubbles was drawing with crayons.

Miss Cartwright was about to call into attention the three who were not paying attention but the kids were saved by a timely call from their father.

"Boys! Girls! There's a monster attacking Towsville. Hurry! It's just emerged from the sea!" Dr. Edwards shouted.

"Ma'am could we…" Blossom asked.

"Of course, you six could go. Just make it quick!" Miss Cartwright said.

Soon, the six members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance were on their way to the beach. The monster looked like a Tyrannosaurus with large arms and green scales. It is on the beach and was getting ready to go to the city proper.

"Okay. Do plan Alpha Omega Six!"

"Right!" Bubbles and Buttercup said, breaking into formation.

"Alpha what?" Brick asked. "What kind of attack is that?"

"Oh I forgot, you don't know about those attacks, my plans and formations," said Blossom. "Okay, me and the girls will take care of the monster, while you try and evacuate the people near the beach."

"And why should we save those people!" asked Brick.

"Because it's our duty!" Blossom said. "We have to protect them because they're too weak to protect themselves."

"No," Brick said. "My duty is to protect Towsville for Dad's sake, not save every critter and every biped that has a brain the size of a nut! No, we should concentrate on defeating the monster, and if some people die, then I couldn't care less."

Blossom was shocked by his callousness. "Not as long as I am leader! Now listen Brick, and you too, Boomer, Butch, as long as I am leader, you will protect and defend every citizen's life to the best of your abilities, and that's not a request. It's an order!" she said, digging her heels. "We're superheroes, for crying out loud! You'll just have to learn to care about them, because without them, being a superhero with powers won't mean squat! We have a moral duty to ensure the life of every Towny, no matter how stupid they are. Besides, you don't know the plan yet, and Buttercup and Bubbles and I could take care of it easy!"

"That's not good enough," challenged Brick. "There's no war without casualty on both sides, and sometimes it's needed to win. Look, we can save more lives by concentrating on killing that monster. Is the whole city worth a few citizen's lives?"

"I don't have time to argue! How about this! It's an order! Do it!" Blossom shouted. "As your leader, I order you to evacuate those citizens, ensure their safety, and deposit them as far away from the battlefield as possible."

"Okay, okay, you win! But not because I think you're right, but because you're the leader and I should follow you, whatever your orders are," Brick said. "But you must accept responsibility when something goes wrong. Boomer, Butch, go and do as Blossom ordered."

The brothers grumbled at having to take orders from Blossom, but did as told.

Blossom decided to observe the boys in action before joining her sisters battling the monster. What she saw impressed her.

The boys under Brick's direction evacuated the people in an efficient and clean manner, with Butch going building to building on the left side of town picking up people and depositing them in the central park besides Mojo's lab. People thanked him, but he never lost his scowl, and he grumbled all the way.

Boomer picked up the people littered in the streets, and like Butch, deposited them in the park. He didn't grumble nor did he scowl, still, he didn't smile or express enjoyment.

Brick directed his brothers' efforts on a manner that impressed Blossom while he picked up people in the buildings in the right side of town barking orders at the same time using the watches.

'How does Brick do it? How could he make Boomer and Butch do his orders without so much as a grumble or challenge and make them do it one second after he gave those orders? And Butch and Boomer could alter their activities to conform with Brick's plans,' she thought with envy as she watched as the boys used superb cooperation and coordination to perform an efficient sweep of all the people. 'If I could command Bubbles and Buttercup with such efficiency, things would be much much better!'

"Blossom, are you going to help us or are you going to stare at those boys all day long!" she heard Buttercup say.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Bubbles and Buttercup attacked the monster. Buttercup quickly headed and punched its belly, but to her surprise, it had no effect. 'What is this monster made of?' The monster then flicked Buttercup off like she was just an annoying fly. Bubbles tried punching the monster in the head, but it too had no effect.

Buttercup tried to laser eye it, but it was ineffective, and an irritated monster tried to stomp on her. She was caught off guard, and soon, the monster tried stomping Buttercup to the ground. Soon, Buttercup was stuck between the asphalt road and the foot of the monster trying its best to squish her. Bubbles tried to fight the monster but it just flicked her with its tail and she was sent crashing into several nearby buildings that was just evacuated by Butch.

Buttercup was struggling hard when she saw Blossom just looking at the boys' rescue of the people. Her blood boiled.

"Blossom, are you going to help us or are you going to stare at those boys all day long?" she shouted.

"Um, oh yeah, sorry!" Blossom said. "Bubbles, give me an assessment of the strength of the monster!"

"Well, the monster is super strong! Stronger than the strongest of strong of strong of toughest strongest strong of toughest…"

"All right I get it!" Blossom said. "Bubbles, distract the monster with a sonic voice. I'll go get Buttercup!"

Bubbles then went close enough to the monster and before it could make a move against her, she screamed at it, causing it to back off a bit. It gave Blossom her opportunity, kicking the foot as hard as she could, which caused it to lift a bit, and enabling her to pull her sister from her predicament.

"What the heck are you doing Blossom? You ruined your own plan by arguing with those boys instead of doing your part!" Buttercup angrily shouted at her leader.

"Shut up, Buttercup! I was trying to ensure the safety of all the citizens of Townsville! I'm sorry, but the situation at hand demanded that I act the way I did! Besides, nothing bad happened!" the red-haired girl replied. "Now, go and try taking out his eyes. That monster has got to have some weakness! I'll go and try freezing him."

"No way Jose! Your plans are useless!" a still teed-off Buttercup said. Then, just to spite her sister, she went and tried lifting the monster by its tail. Blossom nearly boiled from Buttercup's insubordination, but remembered that more important things required attention. She decided that Bubbles would do the fighting in the head while she tried freezing it.

"Bubbles, try and distract the monster by swirling around its head. I'll freeze it!" said Blossom.

"Okay Blossom," Bubbles said, and she started making swirls which distracted the monster by making it dizzy. Blossom started freezing the lower part of its body.

Meanwhile, the monster was making mince meat out of Buttercup. It swung its tail against building after building, and repeatedly slammed her against the concrete slabs in the ground. Buttercup, who was trying to spin it by its tail but failed because of its' weight. For some reason she just clutched the tail as she was being pummelled because she thought being the toughest one would enable her to withstand the pressure. She was wrong.

Blossom got barely halfway through when a twitch in the muscles of the monster broke the ice, and it tried swinging its tail with the clutching Buttercup towards Blossom. Blossom dodged, but Buttercup was thrown off the tail and hit Blossom square on. The monster turned its attention to Bubbles and soon, the blue puff was eating asphalt beside them.

"That monster is going to eat crow!" shouted Buttercup. "Come on Bubbles!"

"Wait," said Blossom, but it was too late. Buttercup was soon engaged with the monster. Bubbles followed Buttercup, and Blossom was just standing a few yards away, having totally lost control of the situation. 'This is bad. I need a new plan fast!' She was about to join the rumble when she heard Brick's voice over the communicator.

"Brick here. The evacuation is complete. What else, your majesty," he sarcastically said, drawing snickers from his brothers.

Blossom described the situation.

"What, you're losing control this early? Okay, what's your plan?" said Brick.

"Well, just attack and attack until we wear it down," said Blossom.

"Now that is the most idiotic and stupid plan I've ever heard for someone who claims to be such a smart pants," Brick replied, "but before you go on to 'I order you mode', listen to what I'm going to say. Boomer and Butch had already fought that kind of monster before, when you made the monster alliance. Now, repeatedly attacking head on the monster would be at best useless, at worst fatal. And whatever you do, don't heat it up and pore sandstone over it. I would only make it tougher."

"If you're so smart, then what would you do?" asked Blossom.

"Pull your sisters off that monster and find a way to dent that hide. Remember, as long as you don't heat it up and mix it with sandstone on a windy day, it wouldn't get that tough as to be impossible to crack. Just ask Boomer."

Blossom then went to her sisters. "Buttercup, Bubbles, let go of that monster and retreat! We've go to regroup and think of a new plan."

"Yeah, it'll work like your last plan!" said Buttercup.

Bubbles at once complied and stood near Blossom, battered. Buttercup however, ignored Blossom and continued fighting the monster futilely.

"Buttercup, stop it and come here!" Blossom shouted. "That's an order! Don't worry, my new plan will work."

"Okay, but that plan better work!" said Buttercup said as she backed off.

At that second, the three brothers appeared besides the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

"Ha, that monster is a lamb compared with the four monsters I fought!" Boomer boasted.

"Yeah, but Boomie, that monster is tougher than all those that we fought before!" Bubbles said. "It's hide is like rubber. It stretches and stretches, but doesn't break when you punch it!"

"Don't call me that!" said a red faced Boomer.

"So it's like rubber, eh!" Blossom said. "Does anybody know how to break rubber?"

"Brick, tell Blossom that we could make it more brittle by subjecting it into extremes of hot and cold. But what has that got to do with that monster?" Boomer said, who could not even talk directly to Blossom without blowing up.

"Okay, Blossom, Boomer said…" began Brick.

"I heard it!" said Blossom. Suddenly her face brightened. "Boomer, Bubbles, go and heat that monster using your laser-eyes!"

"Right," said Bubbles. "Come on Boomie, I mean Boomer! Make sure you keep your distance."

Boomer looked at Brick, who glared back, and slightly nodded his head, then went with Bubbles. The pair then went and started zapping the monster. They held the monster in a steady stream of laser, in the process heating him it up to extreme temperatures. In the process, it became so hot that everything it touches burns. Bubbles and Boomer stayed just out of reach of the monster's range so as not to be harmed by it.

"Butch, Buttercup, go and break the top of that building," Blossom said, pointing to a skyscraper with a sharp pointed end like the Empire State Building.

"Okay," said Buttercup.

Butch just looked at Brick, who nodded, and without saying anything, went with Buttercup. Butch picked up his speed, flying past Buttercup, crashing through the skyscraper, picking up the pointed top before it fell to the ground.

"Hey sissy, catch!" Butch shouted to Buttercup, and threw the building at Buttercup.

"Huh?" said Buttercup and then saw the building accelerate towards her. She dodged and caught the building by its end.

"Hey, you catch like a girl, no wait a sissy!" Butch said, derisively laughing and flying towards Brick and Blossom. Buttercup clenched her teeth and carrying the building, followed him.

"You're a big fat jerk, you know that!" Buttercup shouted.

"I know!" said Butch. "Don't you love it?"

"Yup, it's great being a jerk!" said Buttercup, though it's hard to detect if she was being sarcastic or honest. "Though you shouldn't have thrown this to me without warning!"

"I shouldn't have, but I could, and I did, and that's all that matters!" said Butch. "Why, are you telling me that the toughest Powerpuff Sissy can't even handle building thrown in her way without warning? Oh how horrible!"

"Of course I can! Bring 'em on! I can handle anything," Buttercup said defensively. "So stop whining!"

"Hey, you're the one's who's whining, not me!" protested Butch.

"Butch is whining!" Buttercup began, taunting Butch.

"No I am not!"

"He is whining! You are whining!" said Buttercup.

"No I am not!" said Butch, his veins in his forehead clearly seen bulging.

"Oh you two shut up!" said Brick to the two squabblers.

Butch immediately shut up.

"And that includes you, Buttercup," said Blossom.

Buttercup stopped her teasing, though she chuckled for getting the better of the argument. Butch just fumed. 'Why did I deserve to take orders from that girl?' thought Butch, referring to Blossom.

"Okay, leader girl, what's next," said Brick to Blossom.

"Just wait, just wait," said Blossom.

"You're going to heat it up then freeze it to crack the rubber hide, aren't you?" said Brick.

"Wow! When did you get a brain?" said Blossom in mock amazement, teasing his counterpart. "You got it!"

"I bought my brain in the flea market just this morning! And it's a real bargain too. Only fifteen cents!" joked Brick.

"Never mind," said Blossom. "I think that that monster's heated up enough. Boomer, Bubbles, that's enough. Back off. Brick, you and I are going to freeze that red-hot monster."

"Well, just make sure you don't do it small enough or else the ice would melt and evaporate faster than a hot knife slices through butter!" Brick said.

"Don't insult my intelligence Brick," said Blossom. "Of course I am aware of that!"

"I wouldn't in my life insult your intelligence!" Brick hysterically said. "Because even if I would, there wouldn't be any intelligence in you to insult!"

Blossom stopped and looked dangerously at Brick. "Oh shut up! Let's not waste any time arguing. Let's freeze that monster!"

"Whatever you say, leader girl," Brick said.

The angry, and literally red-hot monster began to march towards the six children. The entire city of Towsville adjacent to the beach was burning because the monster is so hot anything it touches immediately burns like a paper thrown in a red hot charcoal.

Brick and Blossom began freezing the monster before it could do more damage. They used all their power in their ice breaths just to make sure it was effective. After it was over, they were literally out of breath and exhausted, but it worked. The monster was encased in an ice prison, but it showed signs of cracking.

"Buttercup, impale that monster using that building, now!" ordered Blossom.

"Way ahead of you, Blossom!" she said, and threw the building, point first, into the monster. The six held their breath as it pierced the monster through, and it broke right through its back. Soon, the ice broke, then the monster broke into many pieces like china, and the fight was over.

"Way to go Blossom," Buttercup said, forgetting her earlier spat with the leader. "You rock!"

"You were great there, Blossom," Bubbles said, praising her sister, though her face seemed as if she had gone to a funeral.

"Why the long face, Bubbles?" asked Blossom. "Aren't you happy we defeated the monster?"

"I am, but…" she then stuttered.

"I tried talking to the monster, but that monster is not like the monsters we fought before. It's like that monster did not have a mind of its own and it wasn't from Monster Island," said Bubbles. "Something is very wrong here, I can feel it…"

"Oh don't be paranoid," said Buttercup. "The monsters are all the same. They know the price if they tried destroying Townsville, and they got what they deserve!"

"Yeah, there's no need to worry!" Blossom said. "That monster is dead!" Then turning to Brick, she asked, "So what do you think? Am I great or what?"

"Not bad," said Brick. "Not bad at all for someone as idiotic and annoying like you."

Blossom ignored the insult. "I told you I was right. Now the monster was defeated without a single loss of human life! If we had your way, then those streets would now be littered with dead bodies. Anyway, thanks for saving those lives, even if you didn't want to in the first place."

"Keep your thanks to yourself," Brick said. "The only reason I did it is because you ordered it, and you're the damn leader. Though I suppose since it didn't distract from defeating the monster, nor did it delay it, then it was justified. Thought your first planned flopped and you lost control of Buttercup in the middle of the battle! If this were any other battle, that could seriously screw you up! So I would say it's good, though it wasn't that great."

"Geez, you sound like a film critic. Yeah," Blossom said, "but the only reason my first plan flopped is that I forgot you guys don't know the code words for my battle plans. I think you should show me your battle plans, and your strategies, so we could develop a unified plan of action when the next battle occurs."

"Is that a request or an order," said Brick.

"Is there any difference?" asked Blossom.

"Well, if it's a request, no you can't have our secrets. But if it's an order, I wouldn't have much choice would I?" Brick replied.

"Then it's an order!" said Blossom. "Show me all your battle plans, and we could form a joint strategy while we're at it."

"Oh all right," said Brick, not really happy about having to divulge all his plans, but he felt he had no choice. "But I want to know your battle plans too!"

"Sure! You can have it!" said Blossom.

"Okay, then come anytime at our house and I'll show them to you."

* * *

Later, at home…

"What the hell were you thinking!" Butch shouted to Brick when they got home and nobody else was looking at them. He was enraged at his leader, his eyes glaring at him. "Giving away our secret techniques! If you don't remember, we have several strategies to finish off the girls in there, and it would totally screw up our plans!"

"Yeah!" Boomer shouted at his face. "You are an idiot, a moron for agreeing to it! What kind of a leader are you!"

"You fool, you big fat imbecile! You totally screwed up!" Butch shouted at him, resisting the temptation to zap his brother. "You are turning into a puppet of that girl!"

"Are you two finished ranting?" asked the calm Brick.

"Not yet," said Boomer.

"Then by all means carry on," said Brick. "I won't say anything that!"

So for the next fifteen minutes, his brothers shouted, verbally bashed, insulted and generally mocked their leader. They were in the training room, so they kicked about everything around them, the walls, the floating targets and others. However, they quickly got tired of it, or just lost their voices and all of their energy.

"Guessed you run out of voices after all that shouting," said Brick. 'At least they have vented all that anger at me. Now I won't have to worry about it being stored up and exploding like a volcano, like their anger at Blossom.' "Now, listen up and listen good. Look, whether you like it or not, we are allies to those girls, and nothing's going to change that. I know you are mad at me for saying that I'm going to divulge our secrets, but listen to me, IT WON'T HAVE A RAT'S ASS DIFFERENCE if I gave it or not! We're not going to fight with the girls anytime soon, and besides, we'll get their secrets in return, so it would cancel each other out. Besides, following every order of Blossom has some hidden benefits for us that she isn't even aware of."

"Like what?" said Butch.

"Simple. When I become leader, she would have to follow my every order, because she would be hypocritical if she doesn't. That Blossom believes in all that golden rule stuff. Remember, just bite your tongue and wait," said Brick. "Now, does it make all make sense?"

"So that's the reason you keep on following Blossom," said Boomer. "Well, if you put it that way, then I guess I have to say it's okay to me. Sorry Brick about earlier, I was angry and I needed to vent!"

"Yeah, me too," said Butch. "I also needed to vent, so I said all those things to you. But that doesn't mean I like it! I can live with it, but only that! That girl makes my blood boil every time she gives an order!"

They then heard the doorbell ring. "It's Bubbles on her daily afternoon appointment," said Brick.

Soon, the three boys with Bubbles' help cleaned the house up. In return, they thought Bubbles how to race a remote control car, which to the boys' surprise, she really enjoyed it.

It was early Thursday afternoon, September 11. To the pleasant surprise of the kids, school was dismissed a little early and the boys were lounging around lazily in the house. Brick was reading a history book, Boomer and Butch were playing video games. When suddenly the doorbell rang.

"It must be Bubbles," said Brick. "Boomer, get the door. You're girlfriend's waiting for you!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" shouted Boomer. "Okay, I'll get it."

"Hi Bu…" he began, but was surprised. Sure Bubbles was there, but so was Buttercup, and…Blossom!

"Hi Boomie!" Bubbles greeted.

"Don't call me that!"

"Hi Boomer," said Blossom. "Is Brick home?"

"Brick, your master is here!" Boomer taunted.

"Who?" said Brick.

"Blossom," shouted Boomer.

Brick ignored the insult, even if he knew it has a ring of truth in it.

"So, Brick's girlfriend is here? That's explains why he follows her every time she gives an order!" Butch teased.

"Will you shut up, Butch! She's not my girlfriend for crying out loud, you morons," he shouted, totally losing his cool at his brothers remark.

"I thought you two were still grounded?" asked a perplexed Brick.

"We were, but the Professor doesn't know we were dismissed earlier. So I thought, now's the perfect time to swap strategies," Blossom said.

"Oh yeah. Butch, Boomer, stay here and entertain Buttercup and Bubbles. Blossom, follow me," Brick said, and the two went to Brick's room.

Brick's room is painted blue, with an average sized bed. A stack of books is found in a bookcase, and it ranged from every topic. But the majority of books are history, political, geography, military and economics books. She saw one science and math book. Her own collection of books lean heavily towards foreign languages, science, math, English and geography too.

Brick took out a small book, about a hundred pages in length. The book has a title, _Strategies and Tactics_by _William Knox Edwards Sr., William Bricker Edwards Jr., Boomer Edwards and Butch Edwards._

"Here," said Brick, "are all my plans, strategies and tactics."

Blossom opened the book and it was a gold mine. In it were all the plans and tactics Brick devised when they were training to defeat the girls, the various plans made by the boys, complete with charts and diagrams and pictures with captions.

"You wrote this," asked a disbelieving Blossom.

"Well, I wasn't alone. Dad pretty much did all of the hard work, I just added my thoughts and opinions and Boomer and Butch just added a paragraph or picture or so. Now, where's yours? I'd love to pore over your plans," said Brick. "I'd love to see what that Alpha Omega whatever means."

"Um, well, I think I'll learn this first, then I'll give you my plans!" Blossom said nervously.

"Just make sure, or my brothers will kill me!" said Brick.

"Hey Blossom, I've been thinking, since much of the work of his city is, well, too little for six to handle, how about let's divide the responsibility. Me and my brothers will take the monsters and villains, while you and your sisters take on crime and we'll take on the monsters and villains!" Brick proposed.

"You just want to hug all the glory!" Blossom accused. "Sorry, but I have a better idea!"

"Oh yeah! Then let's see you dish it out! I bet it's the worst idea in the world."

"We'll see! You're right about the problem, but you have the wrong solution. Here is my solution. We divide the alliance into three parts, one boy with his counterpart, and we alternately answer calls from your Dad. That way, we would conserve energy. Now, if something big happens that can't be solved by the two, then he or she would give the rest of us a call, and would come to the rescue. What do you think?" Blossom asked.

"I don't like it," Brick replied. "I don't like it one bit. It's the worst idea since Butch said we're in alliance with Mojo!"

"Well, tough luck, since we're doing it anyway, since I am the leader and what I say goes!" she said as arrogantly as she could, pounding her fist on Brick's table. "Now, first, me and you, then Butch and Buttercup, and Bubbles and Boomer. After the first rotation, you and Buttercup, me and Boomer…"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Brick. "You do not want Boomer or Butch to be your partner!"

"And why not?" said Blossom.

"Trust me. You won't be able to maintain your authority with them without me! I'm telling you Blossom, you would become partners with my brothers at your own risk," Brick warned.

"So what? You have no say in this, I will be partners with Boo…wait a minute, are you sure about that?" asked Blossom.

"As sure as the death and taxes," Brick replied.

"They really don't like me, do they?" Blossom asked.

"Ha, not liking you is an understatement! I'm not telling you the truth of what they think about you, but I'm giving you a warning," said Brick.

"Okay, okay, what do you suggest then?" asked Blossom.

"Well, for the second rotation, I will be partnered with Butch, you with Buttercup and Bubbles and Boomer. Then for the third, I will be partnered with Bubbles, Boomer with Butch, and you and Buttercup. And so on and so forth. Just remember, you would not want to be partnered with my brothers."

"Okay, but we'll start this tomorrow. Remember, we'll be first one to test this!"

"I still think it's a bad idea, but you're the leader, and I can always blame you if anything goes wrong!" Brick said.

"Well, I gotta go now, or the professor's going to get really mad!" said Blossom.

"Good luck," Brick said, slapping Blossom in the back.

That caused Blossom to fall to the floor. "Hey, that hurt!" she complained.

"Huh, it did? Well, me and my brothers always slapped each other's back if we want to congratulate each other or wish each other luck, why should I be different with you?"

"Because I'm a girl, and you don't backslap girls! It's not nice."

"Well boo-hoo and cry me a river. Get used to it, especially when you're lucky!" Brick teased in a mocking tone. "And you can't order me not to do it, since this has nothing to do with being a superhero or something!"

"Why you jerk! You'll pay for that!" Blossom shouted.

"Well, there'll be time for that. I think you should tell your sisters of your brilliant new plan, don't you think?" Brick sarcastically said. "After all, it isn't everyday that somebody with a twenty cent brain can do something idiotic as your plan. But you have to be the leader, and so I have to go down with the ship when your plan fails!"

"At least I don't have a fifteen cent brain, you jerk! And don't forget that I'll always get my way since now, I'm the leader!" Blossom shouted and huffed out of the room, carrying Brick's strategy book.

'Girls are strange. I never had trouble backslapping anyone. Mitch and Mike certainly didn't complain about it, in fact they did it to me also. And certainly didn't have trouble with my brothers. Oh well, at least I found the right button to push!'

* * *

"That Brick is a jerk!" the redhead shouted as she saw Buttercup watching TV. Boomer, Butch and Bubbles once again was helping each other clean the house, and they just finished when Blossom huffed out of the room.

"Hey, don't badmouth my brother!" said Butch.

Blossom just ignored him. "Bubbles, Buttercup, let's go home. I wouldn't want the Professor to throw a fit for us acting like we're not grounded.

"You two go on home without me," said Bubbles. "I was only grounded for three days, remember?"

"Oh yes," said Blossom. "Okay Bubbles, just go home before dark so we won't worry."

"Yes Blossom," Bubbles said.

With that, Blossom and Buttercup left and went home.

Bubbles played until six with Boomer and Brick. They taught her how to play poker, then Bubbles insisted that they play hide and seek in the house.

Bubbles went home at six in the evening.

* * *

Later that night, at about eight in the evening…

A gray van three houses away from the Edwards's house parked. In it were four heavily armed men. All have guns and have clubs. They were wearing black all over, had shades over their eyes, and are wearing gloves.

"Is that the house of Dr. Edwards?" asked one passenger besides the drivers seat, wearing back all over with dark shades and gloves.

"Yup. Remember, the master said we won't hurt him until we got the data on that monster hide, but when we have it, we should beat him up then kill him," said the man in the driver's seat.

"Remember, wait till the master unleashes that monster to distract the Rowdyruff Boys, then we move," said the third man in the back. "It should be like shooting fish in a barrel once the boys are gone."

"Remember, we must not fail. We wouldn't want to end up like forty nine last time," said the fourth man.

"Don't worry. Last time, William Edwards was not alone, and the Rowdyruff Boys and Powerpuff Girls were there to save his ass. Now he's alone. And the good thing is, the master said that the monster he's sending is enough to kill both the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys. It shouldn't fail, unlike the monster he sent two days ago."

* * *

Meanwhile…

The doctor and his sons were having their Q&A session when somebody called on their watches.

"Dr. Edwards, this is Red Rover! A monster is attacking Townsville, and it is in the beach right now!"

"Boys, you heard it, now go. I'll contact the girls," said the doctor.

Soon, Brick, Boomer and Butch were flying towards town, when suddenly, Blossom's voice was heard form Brick's watch.

"This is Blossom, are you there yet?"

"Nope, but we're close. No, cancel that. We've just arrived!"

"What, is that some kind of a robot or something?" asked Butch as he stared at the newest monster.

"What's that Butch?" asked Blossom from his watch.

"Well Blossom," said Brick, "I don't know if it's a robot or something. You've got to see this."

Soon, the girls arrived.

"Oh no!" said Bubbles.

"It's a monster," Buttercup began.

"Covered with duranium plates," Blossom finished.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The four heavily armed men stealthily headed for the doctor's house. The doctor was alone, reading some company reports. Soon, they began picking the lock of the back door in a professional way.


	11. Blossom's Austerlitz

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 11 - Blossom's Austerlitz**

The City of Townsville, and a monster is rampaging through the center of town. To make it worst, it is covered with duranium plates. Every inch of its body is covered with the said plates, except of a tiny slot for the eye.

The monster is as tall as an average skyscraper, and looks like a giant lizard. It stood on two feet, yet was bent over. It had a massive tail, and two huge forearms with sharp claws.

"Duranium? That's the…" Brick said in horror.

"…the only metal that could withstand our attacks!" finished Boomer. "Oh crap!"

"That monster is going down!" shouted Butch as he charged headlong to the monster.

"I'm with 'ya!" Buttercup said, following Butch.

"You two, stop it! We don't know how to deal with it yet!" Blossom shouted.

"Oh shut up, girl, I d—" Butch began but was interrupted by his brother.

"Butch, get your filthy ass here right this minute! You will not attack until Blossom and I says so, understand?" Brick barked.

Butch halted mid-air, looked at his brother, glared at him in anger, shuddered at the look his brother gave him, went back besides him, and watched as Buttercup went headlong into disaster.

Buttercup ignored her sister and charged into the monster. The monster flicked its tail at her and soon, she crashed into several adjacent buildings. She landed next to the five puff and ruffs.

"I told you it wouldn't work!" Blossom taunted.

"I get it Red," said Buttercup, grumbling. "So what's your brilliant new plan?"

"Well, try and make stinging attacks at it. And avoid the tail. Boomer, Bubbles, go and remove the people in this vicinity. Brick, we already talked about this so don't contradict me!"

"Brick?" asked Boomer, looking at him.

"Do it," said Brick.

So Boomer and Bubbles went and proceeded to evacuate the people.

"Thanks Brick. Now, the rest of us four, as I said, will keep on attacking. It must have some weak points."

"Wait, wait, what good would that do?" asked a sceptical Brick. "I mean if that monster has duranium plates, then wouldn't it be as effective as tickling a rock?"

"Yeah, but we have to at least distract it to give Boomer and Bubbles time to save those people!" Blossom explained.

"I still don't get the point in saving those people," said Brick, "but since you want it, I guess you can have your way. But what's your plan for defeating that monster?"

"I already said it!" Blossom said.

"It won't defeat it!"

"Yeah, but do you have a better plan?" asked Blossom.

"No," said Brick.

"I thought so," said Blossom. "And until you can come up with a better plan than mine then we would do as I say."

Brick just nodded.

"Okay, Brick, Buttercup, try hitting it again and again. See if you can at least make a dent. Concentrate on the head and the upper body. Butch, you and I will go and try to do the same on the lower parts and the legs."

"Okay," said Buttercup.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Brick said, as he and Buttercup went and began hitting the legs and lower parts of the body of the monster.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Dr. Edwards was mulling over company reports in his room.

'That Clark! He's done a good job while I'm away! I should…what the…what's that?' He then went and checked the surveillance cameras and saw four heavily armed men break in the house. He then took his hat, and his .45 gun, filled it with bullets, took another .38 gun, filled it too, put both in his pockets, then took another .45 gun, loaded it, and he clutched it in his hand. He took his coat, and tried to call the police. The line was dead. 'Well, looks like whoever sent the first thief still is not giving up. I can't call the boys now, or the girls for that matter. They're too busy saving the city.'

He went and hid behind a corner and waited for the robbers to go upstairs. Fortunately, only one of them went up first, as three of them searched downstairs.

He quietly sneaked up behind the six-footer, and then pointed his gun at the back of the man's head.

"Drop your gun," he quietly whispered.

But instead of complying, he quickly turned around and pushed the doctor back using his foot. He then pointed the gun at the doctor. The doctor, lying on the floor, pointed his gun at the robber. The thief thought he was going to shoot, and fearing for his life, shot his gun point blank. He missed Dr. Edwards' head by less than an inch. Dr. Edwards then shot the man, and the bullet ripped through the thief's brain. He soon collapsed on the floor, dead. The floor was filled with the blood of the thief.

"Hey, what's that," Dr. Edwards heard voices say below. "Twenty-seven, I told you not to shoot!"

Dr. Edwards hid himself in a room as he heard the sound of boots rushing upstairs.

"Oh shit! What happened to Twenty seven!"

"He's dead, Thirty-six," said the second man.

"I'm gonna kill the doc when I see him," shouted the third man. "You hear that, I'm gonna kill you!"

"You know the master's orders. Do not kill him until we get necessary data, Eighty-two," said the second man. "Twenty-seven just got careless."

"How can you say that, Fifteen?" asked Eighty-two.

"Because I can," said Fifteen, "and it's true."

Dr. Edwards was by now positively frightened. Those guys were big, really big, and armed too. Plus, they were really ticked-off because he killed Twenty-seven. He was shaking, and decided to do the most sensible thing in this situation.

"Boys, boys," he said into his watch.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick and Butch was making futile attacks at the monster. They had several times been flicked away by it's tail, or some body part. Their female counterparts also experienced the same thing, yet kept coming back for more.

"This isn't working!" Brick said to Blossom.

"Keep trying!" Blossom replied, as she froze the upper part of the monster. It didn't work, as it easily broke the ice. "We have to do something!" she said before she herself was hit by the monsters arms and crashed through several empty buildings.

Soon, the monster walked right where Blossom fell. Blossom floated up but before she could do anything, the monster grabbed her and held her in her arms.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, and tried wiggling out of the monster's grasp. But the combination of the monster's almost supernatural strength and the duranium plates made any escape by her impossible. She tried screaming at the monster, then tried using ice breath, but it had no effect.

"Blossom!" shouted Buttercup in concern for her sister. She rushed in to save her, but the monster just grabbed her with its other hand. Soon, it was squeezing the two puffs to death.

And there was Brick and Butch. Staring in disbelief as two puffs as powerful as they being helplessly crushed by the monster. And things got worst.

"Boys, boys, this is your Dad. Listen, four armed men just broke into the house. I think they're trying to steal something and kill me afterwards. I have killed one of them, but there are still three of them. Have you defeated the monster?"

"No, but we soon will," said Brick, trying to be reassuring.

"Good. As soon you defeat it, come home as fast as you can. I have three guns loaded, but if worst comes to worst, I would need your help. Don't worry, I'll contact you if that happens. Take care, Butch, Brick, Boomer."

"Take care, Dad, take care," Brick said.

"Yes Dad," said Boomer, who is still evacuating people with Bubbles.

"Don't get yourself killed Dad," said Butch.

That put Brick in a dilemma. He knew that they wouldn't defeat the monster anytime soon. He also knew that his Dad might be killed if he would delay. He has an urge to leave immediately, abandon the battle, and rescue his Dad. But he knew that all his future plans for himself, for his brothers, for the family name, for his father, and for the girls would go be ruined if the girls died.

"Butch, go and help Dad," Brick ordered. "I'll rescue the sissies."

"But what about you? You can't fight the monster all by yourself!" Butch complained.

"Don't worry. I'll get the blue girl to help me. As for you, go and save Dad! Don't worry, I'll send Boomer to help you after they're done evacuating the morons. And I'm putting you in charge of Dad's safety. But remember, if anything happens to him, I'm holding you responsible!" Brick sternly said, glaring at his green-eyed brother.

"I won't let you down," Butch said, delighted at being handed a responsibility and a command over his other brother. Brick always takes almost all the responsibility and all the blame and all the power, so this meant much to him.

"I know you won't, now go," said Brick. 'Butch should do fine. Now to Boomer.'

"Boomer, are you done with rescuing the bipeds?" asked Brick.

"Nearly," said Boomer. "Bubbles and I are nearly done."

"Okay. Boomer, you already know that Dad's in trouble. I've sent Butch to save Dad. I've put Butch in charge, so you better follow his orders on that mission. Bubbles, are you there?"

"Yes Brick?"

"Listen, your sisters are in the monster's grip. Go and put those Townies in the park and fly here A.S.A.P. I can't fight the monster by myself."

"Okay Brick," said Bubbles as she picked up the people carried by Boomer. Boomer went and flew towards his house.

Brick then faced the monster. 'Whew. It only took forty-five seconds to bark those orders. Now, what to do, what to do?'

* * *

Meanwhile…

The robbers, all armed with loaded guns, split up-each going to a room to find the elusive Dr. William K. Edwards. It was a mistake.

Dr. Edwards hid behind a door as soon as a robber entered. He was clutching in his left hand a powerful flashlight, while in his right hand a loaded .45 pistol. As soon as the robber entered, he flicked the flashlight right into the robber's eyes. And as luck would have it, the robber removed his shades to try to frighten the doctor with the look on his eyes.

He was forced to shield his eyes, and the angle of his gun was unintentionally raised as he fired his gun in panic. The bullet flew just an inch higher than the doctor's forehead, and it tore a hole on the doctor's fedora hat and he felt the bullet brush against his hair. He was unharmed however, but was shaken by his brush with death.

The doctor instinctively fired his gun, and he hit the robber in the nose. The robber fell to the floor, dead.

Soon, he heard one of the robbers run towards the room. He saw the doctor and tried firing his gun at him. He missed and the doctor fired back. He also missed. Dr. Edwards then went behind a corner for cover.

"Come out, Edwards. Give us the data on that monster hide and I promise I won't kill you," the man said. "And that's being considerate of me, since you've killed both Twenty-seven and Thirty-six. I should kill you but if you cooperate, I'll just torture you and let you live as a cripple for the rest of your miserable life!"

"Fck you!" Dr. Edwards shouted. "Tell you what! Give up now, and tell me who sent you, and I promise you'll get a fair trial. Plead insanity and maybe you can escape execution."

Dr. Edwards then tried shooting. Fifteen hid behind the door. After that, Fifteen tried shooting the doctor, but he missed. They spent five minutes in a stalemated shootout.

Dr. Edwards just reloaded his gun and was about to have another round with Fifteen when he felt the cold barrel of a gun touch the back of his head.

"Drop it," a voice suddenly said. "Don't turn around if you value your life. Hey Fifteen, I got the motherfcker."

"Good work, Eighty-Two," said Fifteen. "Bring the illustrious doctor here."

Soon, the doctor, with his hands up and with Eighty-Two leading him towards Fifteen.

Fifteen then searched the doctor's pockets for any weapon he might carry. He found three more loaded .45 pistols, two colt .38's, one mauser, one sheathed dagger, a couple of swiss knives, two brass knuckles, and a grenade.

He then put the weapons on the floor and led him to another room.

"This is for Twenty-seven," Fifteen shouted as he struck the doctor with this gun. He then punched him in the stomach, followed by striking him in his back. The sheer force of the blows forced Dr. Edwards first to keel over, then drop to his knees. "This is for Thirty Six!" he shouted, then repeatedly kicked him in the stomach. This forced him to lie on the floor on his stomach. Soon, the doctor was coughing blood. Eighty-Two just watched the scene, his gun constantly pointed at the doctor to make sure he doesn't make any funny moves.

"Now," said Fifteen, leaning over to the doctor, "you'll get up and give us the data on that monster hide if you know what's good for you!"

The doctor then struggled to get up. His body was aching, but he finally managed. "Okay, so you want the data? Follow me," said the doctor. "Just don't hurt me anymore."

"Smart bugger," said Eighty-Two. Soon, the doctor was standing.

But before anything further could be done, two boys appeared before them. Boomer and Butch were shocked to see their father in this condition. He had a cut and bleeding lip, he's eyeglasses were broken, he has a black right eye, and the floor was covered with blood from his coughing. He looked like a wreck, though he could see the smile on his face upon looking at his two sons.

"You're going to pay for that!" Butch said in a very dangerous tone.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick tried to do the only thing he could think of. He first gave the monster a powerful laser blast from his eyes to distract it. He then went over to Blossom and tried pulling her out of the monster's grip.

"It's no use, Brick!" shouted Blossom. "It's too tight!"

"Well, I gotta try something!" Brick shouted. "And right now, this is the only thing I could think of to save your hideous and ugly face!"

"My face is not ugly! It is very beautiful!" defended Blossom. "Anyway, I think you need to think of another plan. This isn't working!"

"Yeah, but what choice do I have?" asked Brick as he tried pulling Blossom from the monster's grip. "The only other choice is to let the monster squeeze you to death. Come to think of it, it isn't so bad! Why didn't I think of that before? It'll rid the word of such an ugly creature like you! Well, if you want me to do that, that's fine with me!"

"Oh shut up, Brick," Blossom said, irritated by Brick's teasing at this dire moment. The whole time, the monster is rampaging through the city and smashing Brick, Blossom and Buttercup. "How about you stop yapping and try to loosen the grip of that monster. It's starting to hurt!"

"Well, that's one good idea I've heard all day," Brick complimented. "And I thought you've left your brain at home!" He then tried punching and kicking the hands that gripped the red-haired puff, but nothing happened. Brick gritted his teeth in frustration, until he saw one of the bolts holding the duranium plates in the hands of the monster. It's top is dome shaped and sticking from the flat surface. And there is the slot for the screwdriver too. It is as large as a bottom of a bucket.

He started to turn around the screw, when he saw Bubbles arrive. "Hey Bubbles, try to pull your sister from the grip of the monster!" ordered Brick. So Bubbles, who was surprised by what she saw, did as Brick asked.

A few seconds later, Brick has partially turned the screw. Bubbles got nowhere in trying to pull Blossom off.

"Bubbles, I think you should try removing the other screw holding the plate," Blossom suggested.

"No I think you should continue pulling your sister!" Brick said as he made another turn at the screw.

"No, she should try and remove the other screw!" shouted Blossom.

"No, she should try pulling you off. I have a plan and it won't work if she isn't pulling you, dammit!"

"Screw your plan!" replied Blossom. "No pun intended of course. But Bubbles will help you with what you're doing! Besides, I am the leader and you two will do as I say!"

"Okay, you win—again," said Brick, grumbling. Bubbles, who was caught in the middle, then went and started turning the screw on the other side of the plate, just like Blossom ordered.

And all this while the monster was pummelling them continuously by crashing them against buildings.

A minute later, Brick was able to remove the screw. He then went over and helped Bubbles remove hers. Thirty seconds later, he and Bubbles removed the second screw. After that, both of them removed a three by two foot piece of duranium plate that was held by the two screws.

"Now Bubbles, I want you to give your most powerful laser attack on this piece of skin, got it?" Brick instructed.

"Got it, Brick," Bubbles replied.

"Okay, on the count of three. One…two…three, now!"

Bubbles and Brick gave powerful laser attacks through the exposed skin in the two by three feet gap. Soon, a sharp pain—as sharp as a bee-sting in human terms—shot through the arm of the monster, forcing it to release Blossom and loosen its grip on Buttercup.

"Bubbles, pull Buttercup, now!" ordered Brick. Bubbles did as told, and soon, all three sisters plus Brick was floating—battered but free.

"Yeah Brick!" shouted Buttercup.

"That was great, Brick," Bubbles said.

"Thanks for saving us," said Blossom.

"Hmph. Keep your thanks. I didn't do it for you or because I am nicer. No, I did it for my own selfish personal interests!"

"Still too proud to admit you've changed, eh Brick?" said Blossom. "And what would that personal interest be?"

"Simple. When I become leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. I'd rather command five people than three. Three people's not much, but five-now, that's power!" Brick said.

"You're dreaming Brick. You'll never become leader as long as I'm around," boasted Blossom.

"As Bubbles said, dreams can come true, now can it? Besides, I still want to be leader, so I'm warning you, watch your back. I'm saying this so that you won't whine when you find yourself taking orders from me!" boasted Brick.

"Oh yeah! I still don't believe the personal interest stuff you keep telling us. I think the real reason you saved me is because you like me!"

Brick made a gagging sound. "Now why would I like someone who as ugly as you! I'd rather look at a garbage can than look at that mass of muscles you call a face!"

"Ha, you should know that you're now looking at the most beautiful face in this side of earth, you're just too blind to admit it, but enough of that. We've still got a monster to defeat," Blossom said, pointing to the still rampaging monster. "Now Brick, you still have an idea on how to stop it?"

Brick looked down. "No."

"Well, I've got one. Girls, Brick, I want you to direct a steady stream of laser on the monster. And I want it to be steady!" Blossom ordered. "By the way, where's Butch and Boomer?"

Brick explained what happened.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Who…are you?" asked a bewildered Eighty-two.

"I'm Butch Edwards, leader of this mission," Butch proudly stated, "and this is my brother, Boomer Edwards. And we're the proud sons of Dr. William Edwards. So, if you surrender now, we promise you a quick and painless death." He tried his best to act like Brick.

"Don't make a move or your Dad gets it," Fifteen said.

"Oh no, don't do it!" shouted Boomer.

"Then leave us alone!" said Eighty-two.

"I'm going, I'm going," said Boomer, to the disbelief of Dr. Edwards and Butch. Soon, he left by the way he came in.

"That fellow is a fraidy-cat, though smart," said Fifteen. "Now, it's…what the hell?"

As Fifteen was talking, a blue wave came in from the window beside the robbers. Soon, they discovered that Dr. Edwards was suddenly gone from their clutches, and was being held by Boomer outside, floating in the air. Fifteen fired a few shots, hit Boomer, but it had no effect.

"We're dead!" said Eighty-two. Butch then began to close in, ready and delighted to torturing the duo, when suddenly, they began making coughing sounds and began clutching their necks. Soon, they fell to the ground, and a few seconds later, were dead.

Boomer and Dr. Edwards entered the room. Soon, both boys went and hugged their Dad.

"Dad, are you alright?" asked Butch.

"Yeah, they were going to kill you," said Boomer, tears streaming down his cheeks. "And please don't get mad at me. I know men and boys aren't supposed to cry, but this is just too much."

"We're very sorry for not coming sooner," said Butch, though without tears. "We'll never forgive ourselves if something happens to you Dad! What will happen to us if you died?"

"Dry your tears, son," said Dr. Edwards. "I'm alive, and that's all that matters. I'm proud of you my sons, I want you to know that. Besides, I've killed two of them myself!"

"You have? Cool!" said both of them. "No wonder those two were ticked off."

"Well, your old man is not too bad a shot you know. I shot both of them in the head while both of them missed. I also got a pretty close call." He then showed them the hole in his hat.

The admiration of the boys for their father increased tenfold.

"Boomer, Dr. Edwards, Butch, are you there?" Blossom's voice could be heard in the communicator watches of the three. "Is the doctor safe?"

"Don't worry, Blossom, Butch and Boomer just saved me. What about the monster?"

"Glad you're OK dad," they heard Brick's voice say. "And as you heard, I've single-handedly, with a little help from Bubbles, saved the girls!" he boasted.

"Well, we haven't defeated it yet. But I have a plan. Can Butch and Boomer come here?"

"Sure they can. Butch will come first," said the doctor. "I'll call the police and Boomer will join you as soon as they arrive."

"Okay doctor, thanks!" Blossom said. "Butch, come here quick."

Butch went to where Blossom and the rest of them were.

"Glad you're here, Butch," said Blossom as soon as he arrived. "Now, I want each and every one of you to focus your most powerful laser fire on the monster, and keep it steady until I say so."

"Now who gave you that crazy idea?" asked a sceptical Brick. "We've laser beamed that monster lots of times already, and it hasn't had a damned effect for crying out loud. You're using a tried, tested and proven failure of a strategy against that monster!"

"O ye of little faith, just trust me on this one, okay? I have a plan, and I'll explain it to you when the monster is dead," said Blossom.

"That isn't good enough reason," replied Brick. "I'm still not convinced."

"How about this. Do it because I order it, Brick, and that goes for you three, Butch, Buttercup, Bubbles!" she said at the four of them.

"Okay," said Brick, defeated in the argument once more.

Butch went along with his brother, though further irritated by Blossom's bossiness. Buttercup, though annoyed, was used to it and has no better ideas so she went along. Bubbles just followed her leader like always.

"Remember, keep your distance to avoid being hit by the monster's attacks," she instructed.

"Okay, girls, do plan RNZ! Boys, just do as you're instructed!"

Blossom and Buttercup went at three different angles of the monster, and laser-eyed it. Brick and Butch then went and did the same.

The monster was annoyed, and tried hitting it with its tail, or grabbing them with its arms. Nevertheless, the ruffs and puffs were too high, and the monster was unable to do anything about it. However, at first it seemed that nothing happened.

* * *

Ten minutes later…

They were still at it. Though by now, the monster seemed a little more excited than before, but the boys and girls continued to let out a steady stream of laser at the monster. Boomer joined them at this point. Still, it looked like nothing has happened.

* * *

Ten minutes later…

They were still at it. Though by the monster was by now howling and running around the city, it still gave no evidence of weakening.

"Your brilliant plan of yours isn't working!" complained Brick. "Nothing has happened!"

"Yeah Red, what's the deal with this," Buttercup added.

"You'll see. Just keep on firing," Blossom reassured.

* * *

Ten minutes later…

The monster was by now running wildly, making sounds that looked like screaming. The kids continued to apply pressure, following the monster wherever it went. A few minutes later, the monster just stopped running, and dropped to the ground. A few minutes later, it was dead. And it couldn't come sooner. The kids were literally drained of energy when this happened, and a few minutes more of this would have exhausted their reserves.

"What happened?" asked a confused Buttercup.

"The monster is dead. We've won—once again under my leadership!" Blossom proudly said.

"Oh Blossom, that was great! You're brilliant!" Bubbles said, jumping up and down and hugging her sister

"Sorry for doubting you," Buttercup said. "You were right all along! You rock! You're the greatest leader ever!" She then slapped Blossom's back as a gesture of appreciation.

"We kick ass!" Butch shouted, though careful not to give any compliment to Blossom, swinging his arms and playfully punching Brick in the shoulder.

"Yeah! Those duranium plates are as useful as tin hats!" Boomer declared. "You're great Brick."

Brick just stared at the monster. He then stared at Blossom with a mixture of admiration, envy and embarrassment. Once again, she had proved him wrong. His mouth was gaping wide open.

'How does that girl do it?' Brick wondered. 'How did she do it? How could she be so brilliant? A few minutes ago, it seems as though nothing could stop the monster, and she easily makes a plan that actually defeated it?'

"So, Brick, I told you it would work," said Blossom. "So what do you think? My plan defeated the monster with no casualties, and it was my brilliant mind that did it! If you were in charge, then many of those people in those buildings would have died!"

"Yeah, yeah, that was terrific," said Brick without enthusiasm, though he took this occasion to slap Blossom back as a form of congratulations.

"Hey, I told you not to do that! That's not nice," she complained.

"You'll just have to live with it. Anyway, Congratulations! That was awesome! I never thought you, or anyone else, could do it. Anyway, how did you do it?" asked a curious Brick, ignoring the glares from his brothers.

"Well, you see, that monster was covered with duranium plates. We can't do anything physical to it, so punching it or using physical stuff won't work. Trying to remove all its screws, knots and bolts would take too long and would leave us in a vulnerable position, as you earlier demonstrated. Then I remembered that that monster is covered with metal. Then I remembered about the oven. Duranium is a metal, which means it conducts heat. That monster is like an animal stuck in an oven. All I have to do it heat the oven, and the metal would amplify the heat. And I heated it up by using our laser-eyes. It took time, but it slowly roasted the monster to death, and the duranium armor became its prison, an oven if you will," she explained. "That monster died of too much heat and its skin being burned to a crisp."

"That…was…brilliant," Brick involuntary said. "You turned the plates into frying pan!" 'Who knew that the monster with duranim plates would easily be defeated in such a way,' he thought.

It was her greatest triumph since the alliance was made. One thing is for sure, Blossom turned out to be a better leader than he expected—at least in the strategy and tactics department. She still is short in tact, an area where Brick has in abundance. But nonetheless, he felt a little inferior to Blossom at that moment. He had to admit, Blossom, to his opinion at least, has proven to be a brilliant leader. And to top that, except for the time where Blossom was caught in the monster's grip, he now felt he acted like a whiner. 'And I couldn't even think of another plan to defeat that monster,' he thought. 'That proves how inexperienced I am.' That temporarily sunk his hopes for becoming leader in the near future. Tough he quickly regained his self-confidence and vowed that he would be a better leader than Blossom was when his opportunity comes.

"It was brilliant, but I'm even more brilliant than you could ever be!" he said, in a transparent attempt to save face.

"Keep telling yourself that and you might believe it," Blossom remarked before joining her sisters.

Boomer and Butch were a little impressed, but they were too hostile to Blossom for their opinions about her to change.

The boys, without telling the girls, quickly flew home. Butch and Boomer were talking about how full Blossom was of herself. Brick is thinking about recent events.

'Now let's see. Where does Blossom and I stand? She is superior on these counts. She has the trust of the people, she has experience, she is intelligent, she is caring enough of her sisters and the town, has my willingness to follow her orders, she can be sneaky and she is brilliant. Now on her disadvantages. The loyalty of Buttercup is weak, and she is disliked intensely by my brothers. She is too moralistic for her own good. She is too cocky and arrogant, even by my own standards. Now, what are my advantages? Well, I seem to have a good relationship with Bubbles, and at least Buttercup and I aren't hostile. I am also brilliant, and intelligent. I am even sneakier than she is. And I have the complete and total loyalty of Boomer and Butch, and that's my greatest advantage over her. Now for my disadvantages. I am inexperienced. I can sometimes be too self-confident. I am also as arrogant and cocky as she is. And I just gave away our book on strategies. I am cold-hearted to the people, and seem too rational and self-interested.'

* * *

The boys arrived at their home and discovered that there were about a dozen police officers at the house investigating what happened. Dr. Edwards was talking to Chief Grulp.

"Well, I guess whoever sent the first one over is making sure they succeed this time," said Grulp. "And they damned nearly did. They timed it so that your boys are away and there is a small chance of them intervening, and they damned nearly succeeded—if not in getting what they were after—then in killing you."

"Sill Alex, somebody had been shadowing the four. I mean they died of stroke after the boys arrived, and my money says that it ain't of no natural causes," Edwards said. "They were eliminated, just like the first one, to keep them from talking. Whoever sent them has done a great job covering their tracks. A bit ruthless—but effective."

"Dad!" he suddenly Brick say. He turned around, but he was suddenly hugged by his son. "Dad, I was worried sick about you! I thought you could have been killed! I'm glad you're okay!"

"Don't worry son, I'm okay. Butch and Boomer saved me," said the doctor. "What about the monster?"

"We defeated it," Brick simply said. "Dad I'm sorry if I wasn't here…I…"

"It's okay. I know you have a duty to Townsville," said Brick.

Behind them were Butch and Boomer.

"And Brick, didn't you know that Dad killed two of them?" said Butch.

"Really?"

"Kinda. But it was self-defense," said Dr. Edwards.

"That is so cool! Now I can brag to other kids that my Dad killed two bad guys!" Brick said. "Dad, you've got to tell me exactly what happened.

So Dr. Edwards gave the boys, and Chief Grulp, an exact account of exactly what happened, with the boys asking their father to repeat the time when he shot both of them.

* * *

It was recess of September 12, and the six kids were having a meeting to discuss recent events.

"Here's the evidence," began Blossom. "There are two monsters, one with a rubber hide, and the one covered with duranium plates. And both of them are unusually strong for monsters. And where did the duranium plates come from?"

"Or, more appropriately," continued Brick, "who put it at them. Because, no matter how intelligent you claim those monsters are, they can't put those armor by themselves."

"Blossom, Brick, I have to say something," said Bubbles. "You see, I tried talking to the monster yesterday, and I can't. That monster, like the monster before it, is different from the monsters in Monster Island."

"Yeah Bubbles, those monsters were unusual for monsters," Blossom said.

"And the next evidence is, those four robbers. I know it's different, but I have a gut feeling that they are somehow linked to the monsters. I mean just look at them. They have only whites in their eyes, they have no fingerprints, and they timed their attack to coincide with the monster attacks."

"No, it's just a coincidence," Blossom insisted. "Look, me and my sisters have been battling monsters and criminals for over a year and not once in our experience did we ever hear of a man making a alliance with monsters!" said Blossom.

"What you obviously meant was there was no way that a bunch of thieves could make a deal with the monsters. Well, I think it is a possibility. It's too much of a coincidence!"

"No there is no possibility. The thieves just waited until your Dad is vulnerable, and that is when you were away to battle monsters. They just took advantage of the opportunity!" Blossom explained. "And the physical aberrations of the thieves were just that, physical aberrations that explains nothing!"

"I think you're wrong," Brick frankly said, "but we'll just have to see. So what's your plan?"

"I think we should start with our pairing system," said Blossom. "Brick, you and I will go first. We'll go to Monster Island and interview some of the monsters there. Maybe they know something about this. Butch, Buttercup, you're the next pair. If anything happens while we're gone, you two will take care of it. Bubbles, Boomer you two will take care of the next problem after the first. If anybody of you needs further help, just contact each other using the communicator watches. Is that clear?"

"Yes Blossom," Buttercup and Bubbles said. The boys just grumbled.

The bell rang and the kids went over to class. Blossom awaited her chance and got it.

"Kids, the Third National Bank is being robbed!" said Dr. Edwards.

"Mr. Wolfe, could we?"

"Go ahead," the history teacher said, annoyed being interrupted. 'And I thought being a teacher is a nice normal job! I should have listened to mother and became an accountant!'

To the surprise of the students, only Brick and Blossom went out.

* * *

A few minutes later…

"That was easy. That was the most pathetic attempt at bankrobbing ever!" said Brick.

"Yup! Who would've thought that the Amoeba Boys would ever get the nerve to rob a bank?" Blossom remarked.

"Well, let's go back!" said Brick.

"No, we aren't going back?" said Blossom.

"Sorry, but I don't play hooky like you," replied Brick.

"We're not playing hooky," Blossom said. "We're going to Monster Island!"

"Once again, I think you've lost your mind, but you're the leader! And it kind of makes sense. Somebody with a face as ugly as yours could only live in Monster Island and not scare others!" he teased.

"I am not ugly!" said Blossom, irritated. "I am the most beautiful of all Powerpuffs! You're just too blind to see it! Besides, we're going to Monster Island because we need to know if the monsters know something about all that has been happening. Bubbles thinks that the monsters we just fought didn't come from Monster Island. We need to know for sure, and find out what's really happening."

"I guess you're right," conceded Brick.

So the two leaders went to Monster Island.

The first monster that Blossom saw caused her to frown. It was Tom, the telepathic monster who betrayed the girls during the fight and told Boomer all about it—the revelation that caused Boomer and Butch to totally dislike and even hate Blossom. And it is the revelation that can destroy the reputation of the Powerpuff Girls forever if it was revealed to the public.

'What brings you two here?' asked Tom.

Blossom looked at the monster, and she lost all control. She lunged at it and began beating it up. "Why you, you betrayed us! And you are such a tattle-tail. We trusted you, and look at what you've done!" She kicked it, laser-eyed it, and froze it repeatedly. The monster was just too surprised that it never mounted an effective counterattack.

Brick just looked amused at the scene below him. He was not used to seeing Blossom just attack a monster for seemingly no apparent reason.

After beating the monster up, she glared at the monster. "Now, I have a few questions to ask you and you better give a good answer if you don't want more broken bones."

'Okay,' said Tom to Brick and Blossom's mind.

"Has any monster attacked Townsville from this Island in the past few days?"

'Not that I know of, and believe me, I know almost everything that goes on around this island,' the monster frantically answered.

"Anything unusual happen lately," asked Brick.

'Well, there has been a few monsters that has disappeared in the past few weeks. They just vanished, just like that!' the monster said in Brick's mind. 'Any other questions?'

"Well, that's all that we need to know," said Blossom in a harsh tone. "And remember, behave, or our siblings would come back."

Suddenly, Dr. Edwards' voice could be heard from the communicator. "There's another monster attacking Townsville!"

Brick and Blossom looked at each other. They haven't seen any monster leave the island the whole time they were there, and that confirmed their suspicion. The monsters who recently attacked Townsville did not come from Monster Island.


	12. A Test of Strength and Will

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 12 - A Test of Strength and Will**

The City of Towsville, and Brick and Blossom are on Monster Island

Suddenly, Dr. Edwards' voice could be heard from the communicator. "There's another monster attacking Townsville!"

Brick and Blossom looked at each other. They haven't seen any monster leave the island the whole time they were there, and that confirmed their suspicion. The monsters did not come from Monster Island.

"Butch, Buttercup, you heard it, take care of it!" shouted Blossom. "Boomer, Bubbles, go to Dr. Edwards' house and make sure nothing happens to him. We'll join Butch and Buttercup and help them with the monsters."

"Ha, I told you the thieves and the monsters were connected," Brick boasted. "Somebody made a deal with them to make them stronger!"

"Nobody can make a deal with monsters!" Blossom retorted.

"Don't say that. Look, the only reason I didn't bring it up earlier is that it would only result in a shouting match between you and my brothers. Remember Tom? You made a deal with him, so if you can do that, how can others not?" Brick asked.

"Because only we know that monsters are intelligent," defended Blossom. "The people only know the monsters as mindless beings or creatures that just attacked for its' own sake. They have no way of knowing those monsters are intelligent!"

"Yeah," replied Brick. "But that doesn't mean that a thing! A secret that big certainly couldn't be kept from somebody determined that long. Remember, you can fool somebody all of the time, you can fool everyone some of the time, but you can't fool everybody all of the time! And whoever is behind this figured that out and made the deal just to get back at Dad and to distract us!"

"That's pure hogwash!" Blossom said. "Nobody but us knows about this!"

"Oh hell with it! We're going nowhere with this! Let's just go and see if the new monster attacking is anything like the last one!" said Brick.

"Agreed!" said Blossom, and both of them began racing towards Towsville.

However, when they were flying over a deserted Island, before they could reach Townsville, a large man suddenly appeared before them. He is about six feet tall, wearing complete black, and his eyes were hidden by shades. But what surprised the leaders is that the man is floating like they were.

"You are Brick and Blossom, am I correct?" said the man.

"Yeah, but who are you?" asked Blossom.

He removed his shades, and to the utter horror of the red-haired kids, the eyes had no color, only white, just like the robbers. "I am One, the most powerful of the Master's minions, and he sent me here to make sure you never return to Townsville."

"Well, you'll eat our dust first!" Brick said as he tried flying past the mysterious man. However, he blocked his path and stuck Brick in the face, sending him crashing to the island. Soon, he was eating sand on the beach.

"Brick!" shouted Blossom. "What do you want with us?"

"You! And your death!" said One. He quickly flew towards her and kicked her hard in the back of her neck, sending her towards the beach. Soon, she was lying on the ground besides Brick.

Both leaders stood up as One descended into the ground.

"Who is that guy?" asked Brick.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we're not going to get out of this one easy!" Blossom replied.

"Well, what's your plan, leader girl?" asked Brick.

"We attack with plan Kappa Epsilon Delta," said Blossom.

"What?"

"Uh, oh yeah. Well scrap that. It's too complicated to learn here. Okay, here's the plan. We don't know how strong or powerful he really is, so we can't be too careful. I suggest we all attack at the same time, since we have a numerical advantage over him," Blossom said.

"Okay," said Brick.

Soon, the redheaded children flew towards One and tried to take him down. Blossom reached him first. She tried punching him, but he just ducked and grabbed her arm and tried breaking it. But Brick kicked his head from behind, forcing him to release Blossom.

The man then turned his attention to Brick. He swung his fist and punched him, which Brick blocked with his arms. However, it was so powerful that it hurt his arms more than expected, and One quickly went behind and kneed his back. He soon fell to the ground. He then stretched out his arms, opened his palm, and a large glowing ball materialized.

"Goodbye, Brick. See you in hell!" said One as he prepared the fatal blow. Before he could strike, however, he was suddenly frozen by ice.

"Don't turn your back on me," said Blossom. She then laser-eyed him, and tried to divert his attention from Brick.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Butch and Buttercup went to the city and saw the monster. It was ordinary looking monster, without any plates or anything special. Indeed, it looked like just another ordinary monster from Monster Island.

"That's it? Give us two super-powered monsters twice in a row and this is the third?" Buttercup said incredulously. "Pathetic."

"Why, your sissiness can't handle it? If that is pathetic, then you haven't looked in the mirror yet," said Butch.

"Put a sock in it," Buttercup retorted as she dove in towards the monster. Butch just stood there and watched his counterpart.

But before she could get anywhere near it, the monster opened its enormous mouth, and a swarm of locust-like mini-monsters each the size of a TV remote control emerged, and quickly headed for Buttercup. Buttercup just looked with her mouth agape, and just before the she was engulfed in the swarm, got out of the way. Fortunately, both to the pleasant surprise and amazement of Butch and Buttercup, it didn't chase her and it just went for the town and beyond.

"So it can vomit grasshoppers, big deal! It can't even attack its target," laughed Buttercup, and went right for the attack. She went straight for the head. However, the monster just faced her, and shot her with laser from its eyes. It was quite powerful. Soon, Buttercup was a smoldering heap lying besides Butch. "Oh, my aching head," said the green puff as she shook her head and rubbed it with her hands.

"Sissy! I still don't get what Brick sees in you girls! I mean you're so weak and pathetic and he wants to ally with you? Now, look at how a real pro works!" Butch boasted before he powered up and headed to attack the monster. The monster then spit up another of its swarm of locust-like monsters. Like before, it ignored Butch and headed for the town and beyond. He headed for the lower belly to try and avoid the eyes but the monster just swatted him with its arms like a butterfly. Soon, he was eating asphalt.

"Ha, in your face, Butch!" Buttercup said. "And don't ever call me a sissy! If anything, you are more of a sissy than Bubbles!"

Buttercup then went and tried for its back. The monster spit another of its swarms. Then it quickly turned around—faster than Buttercup thought it capable—and laser-eyed her. Like before, Butch just watched. The monsters followed where she fell, and began stomping her. She was hit half of the time. She recovered however, and punched the monster hard in the jaw.

The monster let out a scream, which released more swarms, and fell to the ground.

"Ha, not so tough now, are you?" said Buttercup. The monster however, flipped back to its feet and laser-eyed Buttercup. It then threw her through buildings. She sound found herself lying on the ground hurt, besides a mocking Butch.

"You wuss," he said in mocking laughter. "That monster tore the skirt off you!"

"That's it! You take that back!"

"I won't! And just watch me! You'll see what I'm really made of!"

The monster just coughed another of its swarms. God knows where they went, but they didn't attack the duo. Butch, moments later, attacked the monster.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Boomer and Bubbles went to Dr. Edwards' house to protect his father. However, he was not there. He then tried calling for his father with his watch. "Dad?"

"Hi son. I'm at work here at my office," Dr. Edwards said on his communicator watch.

"We're coming there for you," said Boomer. "Come on, Bubbles!"

"Right behind you, Boomie!" replied Bubbles.

"Don't call me that," said an annoyed Boomer.

"But that name makes you very cute!" said Bubbles.

"I am not cute! I am strong, and ruthless, and a boy!" said Boomer.

"Aw, but I'm strong and I don't mind being called cute?" replied Bubbles.

"That's because you're a girl, and I'm a boy," explained Boomer as they flew to his Dad's office.

"But that doesn't mean you can't be cute," said Bubbles.

"I AM NOT CUTE!" said Boomer.

"Well I think you are. Can I can call you Boomie?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, let me think…um, yeeaaannnoo! Definitely no," said a triumphant Boomer. "And you can't make me."

"I can," said Bubbles.

"Try me," challenged Boomer.

"I'll kiss you if you don't let me!"

"Aaarrggghhh! Anything but that! Okay, you can call me that, but only when we're alone," pleaded Boomer. "It'd be too embarrassing if Brick and Butch finds out. And please don't tell your sisters, they'll be sure to blab to my brothers about it!"

Bubbles smiled. She had found Boomer's weakness: he was deathly afraid of being kissed by her. But she also was happy that Boomer is acting nice towards her. She was afraid he would revert back to his former evil self. All her hard work, including the afternoon playtime, had been really paying off. 'Boomer's really nice. Nicer than Brick too. But I wonder why he acts funny? I was just acting like I always do? Nah, he's just not used to people other than his brothers being nice to him.'

Boomer was red-faced and beginning to sweat. 'That girl is driving me nuts. I better tell Brick not to partner me with Bubbles anymore. She's scary! Though not in a bad sort of way. But she's definitely cooler than her sisters anyway. I guess after all what happened, you can't think anything bad about her. But still, she'll drive me insane if she keeps this up!'

* * *

Halfway to his Dad's office…

"Boomie, what's that?" asked Bubbles, pointing to something flying in the sky, approaching them quickly.

"I think it's a flock of birds, or something. Wait, I think it's a swarm of locusts," Boomer replied. "No wait, cancel that. They're too big for locusts. What the heck are they?"

They were too absorbed by it that they forgot to dodge. Before they knew it, they were engulfed by the swarm, and it started biting them.

"Ouch! Whatever this is, it definitely has a mean bite!" Boomer shouted as he laser-eyed one of them to crisp and smashed another one with his fists.

"Yeah! And this is more yucky than those cockroaches we fought once!" Bubbles said as she smashed another of the locust-like mini monsters and kicked another. The locusts-like-things are easy to kill, yet can inflict much pain if they bit you, and they were simply too many of them.

After killing three dozens of it, and each of getting bit four times each, they broke out of the swarm.

"Where did they come from?" asked Boomer.

"I don't Boomie, I just don't know," replied Bubbles. Both were now dirty with the guts and blood of the monsters they killed.

The swarm then turned and flew towards the duo.

Bubbles then used her sonic voice or sonic scream, and Boomer used his sonic boom. It killed about half of the locusts-like monsters.

The other half of the swarm then continued, and soon, there was a desperate fight between the kids and the swarm.

Boomer and Bubbles stood back to back, fighting the swarm with determination.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Professor Utonium hesitated before knocking on the door of the office of Dr. Edwards.

"Come in," said Dr. Edwards. He was wearing a large coat, wore his hat on and has his hands in his pockets.

"Come on John, we've got places to go!" Dr. Edwards said, pulling his arm and dragging him to his car outside. "Of course, it's strictly business."

"Wait William, how about work? Wouldn't they be upset if you played hooky?"

"What are they going to do, fire me?" Dr. Edwards incredulously said. "Besides, I own the company and give their paychecks, so they can't bitch me about it! Don't worry, Blockhead and Clark could run the company in my absence."

"Where are we going?" asked the Professor as he sat in the front sit besides Dr. Edwards.

"To Morebucks Inc. office, of course. I have a strong suspicion that dear old Spencer is behind all of this," said Dr. Edwards to his fellow scientists as he turned on the keys and released the handbreak.

"What makes you think that?" said John. "We've know him since we're kids."

"Yes, and that makes it more obvious. See here, a few days ago, Spence called me and asked if I were willing to sell that monster hide. I said no. And the thieves were all after the data on the monster hide. See the connection?" William explained.

"Yeah, but there's no actual proof!" said the Professor.

"You're right. But you and I know Morebucks, and we know he's the only one capable of doing such a thing. You see, he's filthy rich, second only to me, right?" asked William.

"Yeah, William, and he was able to provide Princess with all that technology and money to make her a Powerpuff suit," John exclaimed.

"And couple it with the fact that Spence knew about the probable worth of the monster hide. He knows that when we crack the secret of that hide, all other companies like his would fold and would be bankrupted and I'll have a monopoly of the market, right?" William explained. "And do you think he can be that desperate?"

"Well, yeah! I know him well enough to know that he's capable of such chicanery," John replied. "But don't you think it's bad to have a monopoly?"

"John, monopolies are only bad when you're not the one who has it," replied Dr. Edwards. "Screw all those people who'll complain about fair business practices. Make their own monopoly instead, if I don't kill their businesses first. It's a jungle out there, the business world, and I intent to crush all who stand in my way! Anyway, I need you because I need someone to witness the event when I confront Spence. We'll bring him down!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom continued her assault on One. She kicked him in the head. Then punched him in the stomach. It caused One to back off a bit, but the extent of damage caused by Blossom had been small. One then counterattacked by grabbing her foot and spinning her. When she became dizzy, he threw her upwards, and waited for her to fall.

She finally recovered from the dizziness on her way to the descent, but before she could do anything, One grabbed her. He wrapped his right arm firmly against her neck, and his left over the rest of his body.

"Let's see if you can survive this!" said One, as he began choking her. His overwhelming physical strength rendered Blossom helpless, and soon, she began to drift into unconsciousness as her air supply dwindled.

Suddenly, Brick rose and gave a very powerful kick to One's back, hitting a sensitive spot.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" One shouted, forcing him to release Blossom.

Brick then followed it up with a powerful kick in the head, then balled his fists together and smashed it against his back. To his surprise, One fell to the ground.

"We need a new plan," said Blossom.

"Yeah. Let's see. That guy is stronger than either of us," began Brick.

"Yet he is just as fast as we are, so he doesn't have any advantage there," continued Blossom.

"His attacks could really hurt, and has weakened us considerably," Brick observed.

"Our attacks aren't ineffective, but it's much weaker," Blossom opined.

"But it is only weak when his guard is up. When his guard is down, like when he's too busy trying to kill one of us and not notice the other, our attacks are much stronger, though not like his punches," Brick remarked.

Before they could continue, One recovered. "You'll pay for that! No one does that to One and gets away with it!"

"Well, you should call yourself Zero, cause that's what you are!" Brick taunted. "A Zero!"

"See if you're still cocky after this!" shouted One. He then opened his palms in the direction of the two redheads, and shot two powerful beams at them. Both of them waited until the last minute and dodged. Both redheads were looked at One, smirking. The beams continued until they hit something, creating a very powerful explosion.

"Your aim is way off!" said Blossom.

"Yeah, now see real professionals work," Brick boasted. He then _slowly_ began to position his arms, slowly letting touch each other. Slowly, he gathered his energy. Finally, he fired the beam at One.

One gathered his arms before him to shield himself against Brick's beam, but suddenly, he was hit by another beam at his back. The sharp pain caused him to put his guard down, when Brick's beam hit him head on. The man doubled over by the double beams from Brick and… he turned to see who hit him… Blossom.

"So that's why you did it slowly," One said. "You were giving her time to position behind me!"

"No shit, Sherlock," said Brick.

"Yeah. You aren't so tough now are you?" Blossom added.

"You brats! I can squish you with my bare hands!" said One. "I am much, much stronger than you!"

"True, but you can only crush one of us at a time," says Blossom.

"Let see about that," said One as he charged the kids.

"Just remember, Blossom," advised Brick.

"Yeah I know. Just keep your distance from him and only attack when his guard isn't up. Whatever you do, don't attack him physically head on. Hey, I'm the leader here, and you do as I say. And I say do as you suggested!" Blossom asserted.

"Right," said Brick, rolling his eyes. "You just keep doing that, but remember, when I'm leader, you'll have to treat me as I treated you when you're the leader!"

One lunged at Brick, but he quickly backed off. He froze One, but he quickly broke through it and chased Brick. However, he didn't notice Blossom sneak at his back until she gave him a powerful laser-eye attack.

One got angry and turned around to face Blossom. Blossom immediately fled the scene, while One gathered some energy balls in his hands and carefully aimed it at Blossom. 'Ha, one hit from this and you're dead,' said One.

He made another mistake however. He turned his back on Brick. Before he could hurl the energy ball, Brick buried his elbow into his unprotected back, then froze him. That caused One to aim his energy balls into the sea instead of Blossom. Brick then flew again, putting some distance between him and the man.

"Dang you kids! Why can't you just stay still!" said a frustrated One. He can easily kill either of them. Problem is, the kids were too smart for him to accomplish it.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Boomer and Bubbles braced themselves for the swarm. The first swarm closed in but the blue puff and ruff fought them off. They were able to kill them by using laser, punches and kicks to smash the mini-monsters. The finally beat the oncoming swarm, killing each and everyone of them, having only seven bites. But those bites hurt like hell.

They were just catching their breath when they saw another swarm closing in on them.

"This isn't good," said Boomer.

"Ditto," said Bubbles.

The two kids then used their sonic screams at the charging swarm. Like before, half was killed by it, but the swarm just kept coming. "I'd wish Brick was here. He's ice breathe would put those monsters on ice!"

"Yeah, and he and Blossom would be able to think of something!" Bubbles added.

They then laser-eyed the charging little monsters.

"Run!" shouted Boomer, as they were nearly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of it. Both began flying backwards towards the sky, so as to be able to fire laser at the swarm while flying.

They flew high into the atmosphere and into space, backwards and constantly firing into the little monster, picking them off one by one. Nevertheless, the bulk of them followed them into space, where they died from lack of air.

"Whew, that was close," said Boomer after they went back to earth.

"We were great, Boomer!" said Bubbles, who suddenly hugged him. Boomer suddenly blushed, and sweated profusely.

"Um Bubbles, I think I can't breathe."

"Oh sorry, I was just excited and, well, I couldn't help it!" said Bubbles.

Boomer looked her in the eye, but his expression is a little gentle. "Well next time, control… what the heck, there's more!" He said as he saw more swarms coming.

"Where do these things come from?" Bubbles shouted as the swarm engulfed them. Soon, they were fighting for their very lives.

A few minutes later, after repeated laser attacks, a couple of screams, a couple of bites, and some hand to hand fighting, the couple defeated the swarms. They were covered by the guts and blood of the dead monsters, but they had prevailed.

"All right!" shouted Bubbles, raising her fist to the air before she and Boomer high-fived each other.

"Yeah, uh oh, not again!" said Boomer as he spotted another swarm.

Bubbles and Boomer fought off the new swarm. After that, another, then another, and another. The only good thing about this is that the swarms didn't come all at once, or the two would have been dead.

After continually fighting off five swarms, the blue puffs and ruffs were exhausted, and they're bodies were hurting from all the bites that somehow got through.

"Is it over?" asked Bubbles.

"I don't know," said Boomer. "We can only hope!"

They waited, but no more swarms came. Still, they were not sure if it was over. They waited for a good ten minutes, never dropping their guard. After ten minutes, they relaxed.

"Well, it seemed the swarms stopped coming," said Boomer. "Oh, my aching leg, arms, and head!"

"Yeah, and my entire body too!" said Bubbles in agony. "Well, come on. Let's go to your Dad's office."

The two then slowly flew Edtech Corp's main office, but, before they could reach it, they saw Buttercup and Butch. The two just stared at the two.

"What the heck are they doing!" asked Boomer.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Butch and Buttercup were getting nowhere with the locust-spitting monster.

Butch then charged directly at the monster. He kept one eye on its arms and another on its head and managed to avoid the monsters swipes as he went straight and punched its belly. The monster doubled over, but before Butch could do anything, it laser-eyed him then ate him—or rather tried to chew it. On finding the green ruff too hard for its teeth, it just spit him it out.

"Ha, so much for that," said Buttercup snidely to Butch. "And all you've got to show for is being covered with the spit of that monster! You're no better than a used up and spit bubblegum!"

"Aw shut up! You've done no better. At least I hurt monster!" Butch replied.

"Yeah, well I did too, and I wasn't chewed up like gum like you!" Buttercup boasted. "Okay, I'll make it plain and clear to you! That monster is fast and can predict our moves. So I need you to make a distraction while make the kill."

"Oh no!" Butch said. "I won't play second fiddle to you, unlike Brick did to Blossom. No, you'll make the distraction and I'll take out the monster itself!"

"No! You'll distract the monster while I make the kill!" Buttercup said.

"Oh screw this!" Butch said. "I can take that monster all by myself and I don't need a distraction like you!" He then attacked the monster. This time, he tried using laser attacks both to keep away from the monster and to try and get a scratch on it. At first it seemed to be working. He used repeated laser attacks, unlike the steady one used by Blossom in an earlier fight, so the heat did not accumulate. However, he had no tough armor like the one before, so his attacks really hurt the monster.

Buttercup sneaked behind the monster while it was busy with Butch. 'So that jerk decided to distract him after all,' thought Buttercup. Suddenly, she flew and punched the monster—already weakened by Butch's attacks—in the jaw, knocking the monster out. However, right after hitting the jaw, Butch accidentally hit Buttercup with one of his laser attacks. Needless to say, Buttercup was upset.

"Watch where you aim, you knucklehead!" shouted Buttercup.

"You shouldn't be in there. Who told you to butt in? I clearly told you that I was going on alone!" Butch shouted. "I was going to defeat that monster and you have just to butt in and steal the glory!"

"Steal the glory? You've got to be kidding! You're getting nowhere! And besides, you make a great distraction!"

"You idiot!" shouted Butch. "You're not supposed to interfere. Ha, I'm glad I hit you with that laser. You deserve it, sissy!"

"Take that back, you wuss!" said Buttercup in a dangerous tone.

"Make me you girly freak! 'Look, I'm Buttercup, and I can't fight because I'm afraid of Butch and I my fingers might break and I might tear up the lace on my dress.' Now that's the true Buttercup!" Butch mocked.

"That's it you cowardly moron! You weakling! You're even weaker and more pathetic than the Amoeba Boys!"

"That's the last straw!" shouted Butch before he flew in and punched Buttercup in the face. "Ha, take that! Now who's the wuss!"

"You are," said Buttercup as she attacked Butch. Soon, the two green-colored members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance were fighting—again.

Meanwhile, the monster regained consciousness. It then saw its two earlier opponents fighting each other. It then swatted its palms between it, smashing the two between its palms. They soon fell to the ground. Because they have weakened themselves considerably while fighting each other, the monster was able to regain its strength while unconscious—it only took one powerful slap to knock them out cold.

"What the heck are they doing?" Boomer, who just arrived and with Bubbles, asked, after he witnessed how the monster knocked out Butch and Buttercup.

Bubbles was shaking her head in disapproval at her sister. "They were fighting each other instead of the monster!"

Boomer got a look of determination into his eyes. "Looks like we got our hands full! Well, let's hope that those swarms didn't weaken us too much. Come on Bubbles, LET'S KICK IT'S ASS!"

"Right behind you, Boomie!" shouted Bubbles as she and Boomer charged at the monster.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Sir, I don't think you have an appointment with Mr. Morebucks!" said a frightened secretary as Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium barged into Morebucks Inc.

"I don't need to! I'm William Edwards, and I'm the richest man in Towsville and Citisville, and I don't need an appointment if I want to talk to Spencer!" thundered Dr. Edwards as he brushed off the objections of the secretary. "And John Utonium is the most brilliant scientist in this part of the country, and he certainly doesn't need an appointment! Now where is Spence?"

"Oh let them in!" said Morebucks' voice in the intercom. "They're old classmates of mine."

So the staff let the two former friends into the office of Mr. Morebucks.

Morebucks then lighted a cigar. "So Bill, ready to sell that monster hide?"

"I've already given you my answer! No I will not sell it!" said William Edwards. "And don't call me Bill! You know I hate that nickname! Call me either Edwards, Dr. Edwards or William!"

"Oh come now Bill, don't be so formal!" said Spence, delighted in annoying his business rival with that nickname.

"Anyway, that's not the reason I came here, Pence," said Edward. "John and I came here to say that we know!"

"Know what?" asked Mr. Morebucks with a surprised expression. "Forgive me, I seemed to be clueless here."

"Don't play innocent, Pence," replied William. "You're the one who sent those five thieves! You wanted that data on the monster hide, and when I wouldn't sell, you sent those thieves after me! Don't deny it. Those thieves told me point blank that they wanted the data for the master! Look at the mirror and you'll see who their master is!"

"Oh I'm very sorry about what happened to you these past few days. But I resent being accused of sending that thief! I want that hide but I would never do such a thing!" Morebucks protested, raising his voice. "I do not associate myself with criminals like the one who tried to rob and kill you, and I have nothing to do with it. Indeed, those thieves are not only trying to steal the hide and kill you, Bill, but they also tried to sully my name by linking me with the criminals."

"Then why'd they tried to kill me and not you?"

"Because you don't have enough security in your goddamed house!" Morebucks thundered. "Even a shack with a Chihuahua guarding it has more security than your poor excuse of a home! And don't say anything about your boys. They cannot guard you twenty-four hours a day. Look at me! I have the best security money can buy, and I haven't been robbed ever, except during that time my daughter made crime legal! And you don't have any evidence against me!"

"Pshaw!" Dr. Edwards said, dismissing Mr. Morebucks arguments. "I know you, and John knows you, and we all know that you are capable of doing such a thing. After all, you permitted your daughter to commit crimes, and even financed it."

"Don't drag my daughter into this!" said Morebucks, his calm demeanor gone, replaced by an angry one.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" replied John Utonium. "You and your daughter have repeatedly tried to destroy my girls. Your money is what kept Princess from being convicted by the courts, and you yourself managed to keep your skirt clean. But now, somebody with even more money than you will drag you kicking and screaming into jail!"

"We'll bring you down, Pence, mark my words!" said William Edwards said before he and the Professor left.

The two were driving back to Dr. Edwards' office when suddenly, a large van suddenly stopped in front of him. Dr. Edwards quickly slammed the brakes.

"What kind of an idiot are you!" Dr. Edwards shouted at the driver. "Get your tin can off the road! Other people use the road, you know!"

However, the doctor and the professor froze when they saw that the driver and the passengers are wearing the same outfit that the robbers wore. Plus, they were heavily armed.

Dr. Edwards was about to turn around when a car with the same type of men blocked his escape. Since buildings were on either side, there really was no escape.

Dr. Edwards quickly grabbed a gun in the glove compartment and gave it to the Professor.

"John, you take… what the?"

One of the robbers threw some kind of can—breaking the window of the doctor's car in the process. Soon, green gas was sprayed from the can.

"It's sleeping gas!" shouted the Professor. Minutes later, both men were out cold.

The armed men then took the two scientists and put them in the back of the van.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom and Brick was having success in dealing with One. One gritted his teeth in anger as he saw the two kids smirk at him. 'If I could only take them one at a time,' he thought. 'Well, this should work.'

He then flew speedily towards Brick. Brick then flew off in an opposite direction to avoid him. Blossom then noticed that his back was turned on her, so she decided it's another opportunity to attack. She then flew towards his back.

However, One anticipated this and at the last moment, turned around. He then gave Blossom a hard kick in the head. The kick was so powerful that it drove Blossom to the brink of unconsciousness, and with another kick to the back, sending her into the ground. She was temporarily incapacitated.

One then turned his full attention to Brick.

'Damn it! Now I'm alone!' Brick thought as he prepared for the worst. He would have flown away had not One quickly grabbed his legs. Pulling Brick towards him, he gave him a powerful punch to the stomach. Brick was forced to double over because of the pain and clutched his stomach. Then One gave him the most severe beating of his life, even more severe than what he received from Blossom and Buttercup during the third clash—continuously for two minutes straight. He then threw him towards where Blossom was.

Blossom has just recovered her senses when Brick suddenly crashed besides her.

"I think that's enough! Now, I'm giving you one last chance to attack me! Ha, ha, in your weakened condition, it would be useless, even two against one, but I'm giving you a two minute break to plan. As if it would make any difference!"

"Brick! Are you alright?" asked Blossom with concern, helping him by grabbing his arm.

"Don't touch me! You're icky!" shouted Brick, pulling his arm from Blossom. "I can take care of myself!" He then with utmost effort stood up, and slowly hovered. "Damn it! I'm so weakened! How the hell are we gonna kill that son of a bitch?"

"Watch your language, Brick. Well, I've been thinking, but it's too much of a risk," said Blossom.

Brick looked at Blossom in surprise. "Cough it out!"

"Well, I have this very powerful attack that I think could kill him!"

"That's terrific!" shouted Brick.

"There's a catch. You see, it would take almost all my energy, and so if this doesn't work, then we're doomed!" Blossom explained.

"I'll take that risk," Brick said.

"And it's too slow. It's like waiting for a turtle to hit you! He would easily dodge it with a minute to spare," explained Blossom. "But I think we don't have any other choice. Also, I never had to use this before."

"By the way, what kind of attack is this?" asked Brick.

"Well, I would gather all—as in all—my energy in my hands, and form it into a laser beam. It would take at least two minutes. Then I would throw it at my target, and that would also take one minute. After that, I'm out, since I don't have any energy left. Would you carry me back to the Professor?" Blossom asked.

"Well, I could leave you on this Island and just call the coast guard," said Brick. "I might get cooties if I carried such an ugly girl like you all the way to the city!"

Blossom suddenly became angry. "Brick!"

"Okay, okay! And I know just how to make that laser hit Mr. Zero over there. I'll distract him, while you gather that energy of yours. By the way, I would have done the same thing, but I have only zilch energy left after that beating, and it wouldn't be effective against One."

"What do you plan to do?" asked Blossom.

"Well, I'll let myself be a punching bag to that idiot. Right now, I'm very weak, and the only thing I could do is distract that bastard!"

"But you'll get killed!" Blossom protested.

"I won't if you hurry it up! I do not intend to be a martyr!" Brick said. "Of course, since you are the leader, I won't do it without your approval."

Blossom began to think. 'It's too much of a risk. There's a ninety-nine percent chance that I would miss and that would be the end. And even if I don't, Brick might be killed by One's beating. But we would all die if I don't go through with this. It's a hard choice, but it's got to be made.'

"Would you please hurry? I don't have all day you know!" said One.

"Just wait a minute," shouted Blossom. "Okay, Brick, I approve. So this is the plan. I'll gather all my energy and form it into a beam, while you distract him. Just keep him from noticing me until I hit him at his back. Remember, he mustn't see it or he could easily dodge it."

Brick looked Blossom in the eye. "Okay. But before I go, I want you to know that you're a better leader than I expected. Though that doesn't mean anything. I still have my ambition of replacing you as leader, and I think I'll be better than you. And I'm not doing this because I'm all nice and stuff. I only doing it because…"

"I know, it's for your personal and selfish self-interest, and I couldn't care less," Blossom replied. "You've said that a thousand times! What's important is you're your know what your self-interests _really_ are, and that you're doing this. Anyway, take care!"

Brick then went and "assaulted" One. He was so weak that he could only fly very slowly. His body is aching from the recent beating, and his energy was drained. His mind is still sharp, however, and nothing indicated he'll be out cold soon, unless he was knocked out on purpose or inhaled sleeping gas.

One looked at Brick in utter contempt. "Ah, look at you playing hero!" Brick tried punching and kicking him, but he was too slow that One was able to block all of his punches and kicks, and he was too weak to make any laser-attacks. One just looked amused. "You're nothing but a pathetic shell of your former self!"

Brick smirked at One, even as he saw his attacks getting nowhere. "We'll see about that!"

Blossom was on the ground gathering her energy in her hands. "Just hang on, just hang on! Just a little more!"

One got bored with Brick's attacks, and counter-attacked. It was devastating to Brick. At first, he just played around and pulled his punches, but then, he got bored and got serious and began pummelling Brick. Brick was forced to take the punches and kicks, and just hope it won't kill him. Miraculously, he was able to hang on to his consciousness through it all, though he wished he would be just out cold. 'Hurry Blossom. Hurry! I can't take much more of this and survive, goddamn it!'

Blossom just completed her laser beam. 'I hope he doesn't notice it, or it's all over!' She then threw the beam at One. Like she said, it was so slow in reaching him.

Luckily for them, One was so absorbed with Brick that he completely forgot about Blossom. His back was on her as the beam approached him.

He clutched Brick's sweatshirt and stared at him. "Now, what would your last words be before I finish you off and kill your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend. She's not even my friend! She's icky!" Brick coughed out with a weak voice.

"Well, see you in hell," One said as he prepared to kill Brick.

But Blossom's beam hit his back, exactly one minute after Blossom launched it.

"What the…" shouted One as he suffered a stinging pain in his back. Soon, the beam tore through his body and he was dead. His body fell to the sea and was devoured by sharks.

"What took you so long?" Brick shouted. He then gave in to weariness and collapsed mid-air, as his last energy reserves was spent on that shout.

Blossom, who was very weak as a result of using almost all her energy, flew and caught Brick before he plunged into the sea.

She was too weak to make a sustained flight towards Townsville, and she was near collapse. She then limped towards the island, found some shade with some grass, lay Brick there, and collapsed besides Brick.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Boomer and Bubbles charged at the monster. The monster then spit another of its swarm of locusts from its mouth.

"So that's where those things came from," Bubbles explained.

"And Butch and Buttercup were too busy fighting each other to defeat that monster sooner!" Boomer bitterly added.

The swarm was about to engulf them and they prepared to fight it once again. However, before the swarm can engulf them, the monster suddenly went behind Bubbles, and in a brief moment, swallowed her. It was too sudden that it might have been possible that Bubbles didn't see what was coming.

Boomer was horrified. "Bubbles!" he shouted in panic, and was about to go after the monster but the swarm engulfed him. His body is still aching, and he was tired, but seeing his counterpart get eaten for some reason gave him the extra adrenalin. He kicked, punched, laser-eyed and crushed all the little monsters of the swarm in just over a minute.

He then rushed to the monster. 'Bubbles is gone,' he thought. He was both sad, but too angry to cry. 'I think I'm getting too soft. I mean why would her loss bother me? And yet for some reason it did bother me. I will avenge you!'

However, before he reached the monster, a sudden bulge in its stomach appeared, and seconds later, Bubbles broke through the skin of the monster, carrying with her its stomach. Bubbles was covered with the slime and blood of the now dead monster. She then took the monster by its tail, and threw it into the sea.

"Bubbles, you're alive! I thought…" Boomer suddenly said.

"Well, this isn't the first time I fought a monster inside out, you know," said Bubbles, slightly blushing. "Thanks for your concern, Boomie."

"I'm not concerned at all. I was just… um… ahhh… well… cause… Brick and Dad would kill me if you were killed… yeah that's right," Boomer stuttered, his face reddening.

"You're not as good as Brick in hiding your true intentions, Boomie," teased Bubbles. "At least Brick is believable. You're a terrible liar."

"Ah, let's get Butch and Buttercup," Boomer said, quickly changing the topic. "I've got a mouthful to say to them."

The two of them then went to where Butch and Buttercup lay.

"How'd you think we should wake them up? A nice ice-filled water? A prick with a needle? Or would you like to kick them? Or even laser-eye them? How about hot water? Or how about using our sonic screams in their ears? That should certainly wake up these Neanderthals."

"Boomie, that's not nice!" protested Bubbles.

"Well, I'm not nice either, and neither is Butch, and I think Buttercup too. And what they did certainly isn't nice to us, so I think… nervermind. They're coming to."

"Ah. My aching head!" said Butch.

"What happened?" asked Buttercup. "Last time I remember, I was kicking his butt when suddenly, all went black!"

"Are you alright, Butch?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah," replied Butch.

"In that case, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO DOING? You should've fought that monster instead of fighting each other!" shouted an angry Boomer at his brother.

"Don't shout at me. You're no Brick, and he and Dad are the only ones who could shout at me!" said Butch dangerously. "And for your information, I fought that monster, and would have beaten it sooner if it wasn't for her meddling!"

"Meddling!" shouted Buttercup. "Meddling? You were messing it up. If anything, I was doing the job quite nicely but you have to mess it up with your idiotic moves!"

"But why are you two fighting?" asked Bubbles. "Shouldn't you be working together to defeat that monster?"

Buttercup frowned as she looked at Butch. "Well, because he's a jerk. But I would like to say that I didn't fight him until I defeated that monster!"

Butch scowled back. "Yeah, I only fought that nagger when I knocked that monster out cold!"

Both Boomer and Bubbles were shocked at the Butch and Buttercup's words.

"Are you living in another planet? Because in planet earth, I saw you two fighting with the monster very much alive, and slapped you two out cold," Boomer accused.

"That's not true. He/She knocked me out cold!" Butch and Buttercup said at the same time, pointing to each other.

"Sorry, but Boomer and I saw what happened. You haven't defeated the monster when you fought," Bubbles asserted.

"And if you don't believe us, watch the nightly news," Boomer added. "It's all there."

"And I defeated the monster!" Bubbles triumphantly said.

"And don't you know that the monster coughs this locust like things that nearly killed Bubbles and I?" Boomer madly said. "We were fighting for our lives for crying out loud, and you two didn't do your job. We all could've been killed because of you."

The information shocked the green-eyed children, and Buttercup lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry Bubbles. Me and that jerk should've killed the monster first before fighting each other. Besides, it's his fault!"

"I forgive you Buttercup," said Bubbles. "Everything turned out all right, so there's nothing to get angry about. And you shouldn't blame each other. Both of you are equally at fault."

Butch was also ashamed, but unlike Buttercup, he was too proud to apologize. He was just silent.

"Now, Boomer, forgive Buttercup and your brother," asked Bubbles.

"Not until Butch here says sorry!" Boomer said.

"I won't! It's her fault that it happened!" Butch said.

"I'll tell Brick, and he'll force you to apologize! And if he doesn't, I'll tell Dad!" Boomer said.

"Brick would support me! I'm right in this matter," said Butch with gung-ho.

"I think we should go home first before going back to class," said Bubbles, changing the topic to avoid another fight.

"Yeah," Boomer said. "We're a mess!"

Butch just grumbled.

"I don't need no stinkin' bath!" Buttercup asserted.

"Come on, Buttercup," Bubbles said, dragging her sister. Buttercup protested, but allowed herself to be dragged by her sister back to her home. Boomer and Butch went home without even talking or looking at each other.


	13. Depths of Despair

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 13 - Depths of Despair**

The City of Townsville…

Boomer and Butch had just finished cleaning up themselves after the fight. They were still at loggerheads over what had happened.

"It's your fault this happened. If you hadn't been monkeying around instead of doing your job, you might have killed the monster sooner, and I wouldn't have so much wounds and Bubbles and I wouldn't have to clean up your mess!" Boomer said, though he wasn't shouting anymore.

"Look man, I'm sorry for what happened to you, but it's Buttercup's fault! Yeah, I admit, I should've killed that monster instead of making a fool of myself, but she's the one who's more at fault here!"

"Sorry? Why did you say it only now?"

"Cause I don't want to lose face in front of the girls! I don't want any of them to hear me apologize!" Butch replied. "Besides, I only want to say sorry to you, not to those sissies."

"Fair enough," Boomer said, completely understanding his brother. "But there would be hell to pay when Brick finds out about this. And since it's all over the news, there's no way you can keep it from him!"

"Well, we can always blame Buttercup," Butch said.

Both brothers laughed.

"Well at least it's over," added Boomer. "I mean everything turned out all right after all. Brick shouldn't be too angry. Speaking of Brick, where did that redhead disappear to?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" replied Butch. He then pressed a button on his communicator watch.

"Brick, Brick," he began calling.

There was no answer. He repeated the call. Still no answer. "That's strange. Maybe mine's busted. Butch, try calling Brick."

"Okay," Butch replied before calling, but got none. He then tried calling Boomer and succeeded.

Boomer tried calling Butch using the watch, and succeeded too.

"Where the hell is Brick?" said Boomer, who is near panic.

"Well, the last time I saw him, he and the redheaded girl were going to bust some bank robbers. The next time is when he called us, then poof! I haven't heard from him since."

"Well, let's go back to school. Maybe he wasn't as beat up as we were," said Boomer thoughtfully.

So both boys went back to school. When they arrived, they noticed that Blossom was also missing.

"I also called them, but Blossom didn't answer," Bubbles said worriedly.

"Nah, their watches are probably busted and they're still fighting some enemy," Boomer said. "I think we should just wait for them."

"Yeah, no sense in looking for them when we have no idea where they are," Buttercup added.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Boomer and Butch were at home waiting for Brick.

"Where the hell is Brick!" shouted Boomer as he waved his hands in panic. "I think we better find him!"

Butch just kept silent as he watched Boomer in near panic. Suddenly, the phone rang. Boomer then picked up and answered the phone faster than a speeding bullet, hoping it might be Brick.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi Boomer, it's Bubbles. I just want to ask you if Brick is there, since Blossom is missing."

"What? But Blossom is with Brick the last time we saw them. This is bad," said Boomer before he hung up the phone. "Looks like Brick is missing with his redhead girlfriend! We must look for him!"

"But where do we look? They might be under our very noses and we don't even know about it!" Butch argued. "I think we should wait."

"But what if something happens to him?" Boomer passionately said. "What if he needs our help! He's our brother, our leader for crying out loud. Sure, he's overbearing most of the time, and he's bossy, but that's the way he is. Without him, we couldn't have defeated the girls twice, and wouldn't be where we are right now. So don't be selfish and only think about yourself."

"Don't you say that, Boomer," Butch angrily said, grabbing the front of his brother's shirt. "Of course I care about Brick! He's my brother too you know. There's nothing I wouldn't do if he ordered it! But think! What will we accomplish by looking for him? It's like finding a needle in a haystack! So I say just wait for him here. Brick's smart, and he'll find a way out of whatever mess he's in right now, and tonight, we'll all sit as we tell each other what really happened with Dad."

"That's not good enough! I'm going to find Brick, and if you don't want to find him too, I'm going alone, or I'll call Bubbles to help me! And even though I don't like being alone with her, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to help than a certain brother of mine," said Boomer in a derisive tone. He was about to take off into whatever direction to find Brick when he felt Butch's hand tap his shoulder.

"Look, I think this is crazy, but for your sake, I'll help you," Butch offered. "If you're going to do this, it might as well be with your brother than girls whom you can't depend."

"Oh I guess so," Boomer said with gratitude. "Thanks Butch. But do we let those sissies know?"

"No, no, no!" Butch vehemently opposed. "This is our business, and we shouldn't drag anybody else with us!"

"But…" Boomer began.

"I said, it's none of their business. Now, if you want to look for Dad, then you do it with me and not with anybody else!"

Boomer decided to back down. So the two spent the rest of the afternoon into the night looking for Brick.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Blossom!" shouted Bubbles as she flew over Townsville looking for her sister. They also noticed Blossom was missing, thought they were calmer about it because this wasn't the first time it happened.

"Where are you?" Buttercup shouted besides her. They had been looking for her since that afternoon.

"Brick!" shouted Bubbles.

"Brick?" wondered Buttercup. "Why would you call that jerk?"

"Because they were partners in the pairings, so chances are, where he is, she is also," answered Bubbles. "Besides, I don't think he's a jerk."

"Oh yeah," Buttercup said, scratching head, feeling stupid at her remark.

So they spent the entire afternoon into the night looking for Blossom. Funny thing is, they never even bumped into Boomer and Butch, who was also looking for their redheaded sibling.

* * *

Later that night…

"I'm worried. What if…" Boomer began.

"Don't say it! Don't even think about it!" Butch quickly shot back. "Brick's smart, that's why he's the leader. We've gotten out of stickier situations than this because of him and I'm sure he's all right wherever he is. I think we should just call Dad. Maybe he knows where he is."

"Good idea," said Boomer. "Dad," he called in his watch.

No answer.

"Dad?" called Butch.

Still no answer.

"What if, he too was…" Boomer thought, getting more and more worried.

"Oh don't be so gloomy. You'll hair would be even more blond that it already is!" Butch quipped.

"How? It can't be anymore blond that it is unless it turned white," Boomer replied.

"My point exactly!"

"Hey!"

"Look, don't be a worry wart! He's probably busy at home working in his lab or his company reports and he doesn't want to be disturbed so he turned his watch off. Tell you what, just to make you feel better without slapping you in the face, let's go home. I'm sure Dad is there shouting his voice out cursing someone named Blockhead, Grulp, Morebucks or Clark or any of those rivals of his thinking we can't hear him, or burning his eyes out pouring over some reports while scheming to take over another company, or still trying to crack the code of that monster hide or doing some of his experiments."

"I hope you're right, but I've got a sick feeling inside of me!" Boomer replied, still worrying.

"Maybe it's something you ate!" Butch replied as they flew back home.

"Dad!" called Boomer as soon as they went home.

"Dad!" shouted Butch, no answer. Then they searched the entire house, from the lab in the basement, the training room, his business home offices, his room, and every other room in the house. They found stacks of papers, but no Dr. Edwards.

"Oh no! What if he was kidnapped, or killed or something?" Boomer said in panic, flailing his arms in despair in the process.

"Maybe he was still at work?" suggested Butch to calm down the almost hysterical Boomer. "I think we should call Mr. Clark."

"Yeah, maybe he's still at work," Boomer, trying to calm himself.

Butch then dialled his father's office number.

"Hello. Hi Mr. Clark. Is my father there?"

"Hi Butch. No he isn't," Clark replied. "Dr. Edwards isn't here. Isn't he there yet?"

"No Mr. Clark. We haven't seen him since this morning," Butch replied.

"Well, I haven't seen him this afternoon. Last time I saw him is I think about just before lunch. He was dragging someone with a lab coat and square face. I think it's Utonium, but I'm not sure. Come to think of it, it's definitely Utonium. I've heard him said his name, John Utonium, out loud when you're father was dragging him towards his car."

"He's with Utonium, Mr. Clark?" asked Butch.

"Well, he's with him last time I saw your father," replied Clark.

"Well, thanks," Butch said in a rare polite moment.

"You're welcome," said Clark before hanging up the phone.

"Well, he's with those sissies' father," sneered Butch to Boomer. "Well, what are you waiting for, Boomer. Call them! I certainly refuse to speak to them!"

"Oh, you should get over it," Boomer replied. He was about to call when the phone rang.

"Maybe that's Dad!" snapped Butch. He then snatched the phone from Boomer's hand. "Hello?"

"Hi Butch. This is Bubbles. Um…"

Butch then handed the phone to Boomer without even replying to Bubbles.

"…is Professor Utonium there? He isn't here, and since he and your Dad are close, maybe he's with him."

"Well, no, he isn't here. In fact…"

"Boomer? I thought I was talking to Butch!" Bubbles said in surprise.

"Well, he gave the phone to me," Boomer replied. "Don't mind him. He's always rude."

"Well, is the Professor there?" asked Bubbles.

"No he isn't, and neither is my father. I was going to call you and ask you if Dad is there with your Dad, well, I guess he isn't," Boomer replied, his voice shaking at the new piece of information. It, at least to him, confirmed his worst fears. He then hang-up the phone.

"He's gone! He's not with the Professor!" shouted Boomer this time in fear and panic. He grabbed his brother's shirt and shouted in his face. "What if he's dead? You remember the two thieves who tried to kill Dad? Maybe the one who sent them succeeded! Oh the humanity! What if he's dead! Maybe they put cement in his feet and threw him into the sea! Or maybe they put a bullet in his brain! What if he was stabbed, or was being torn to pieces by wolves? Brick is missing, and so is Dad! What would happen to us, Butch?" By this time, his emotions overcame him and he was crying hysterically. "We'll we be cast out into the streets? Would we have to return to Mojo?" He then began making incoherent rants and sobs that only aggravated Butch.

"Stop that! Get a grip on yourself!" Butch said. Still, Boomer didn't listen and continued acting hysterically.

Butch then punched him in the face.

Boomer then stopped his bawling. "Ow, that hurt Butch," he said, drying his tears and rubbing the part where he was punched.

"Sorry I had to do this to you, but you're losing it Boomer!"

"Well, thanks for putting some sense into me," Boomer said, "but what of Dad and Brick? All signs points out that something bad happened. What if…"

Boomer started to go hysterical, but Butch shook his shoulders before he could again lose it. "Don't go kooky on me!"

This put Boomer back to his senses.

"Look, there's nothing that would say that Dad isn't all right. He and Professor Utonium are probably on some business trip and he forgot to tell us," Butch explained. "And Brick and Blossom went with them because they think the redheads are so smart!" he snickered, then laughed. "Don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, I'm hungry! Let's get some bite then let's hit the sack. I'm pretty bushed after this fight."

"Yeah, considering you fought Buttercup more than you fought the monster, and Bubbles and I were the one who did your job for you since you were in dreamland," Boomer teased.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to rub it in," Butch replied irritatingly.

"Why don't we just look for them?" asked Boomer.

"Same reason for Brick. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack!"

So both boys went to the kitchen and heated some TV dinners in the microwave, ate it, brushed their teeth, and went to bed.

"Don't worry! When we wake up tomorrow morning, we'll find them in the kitchen, or in their beds, tired after a long day's work," Butch said. He normally would try and scare his blond brother, but Boomer was already hysterical and near panic, and any scaring from his part would only make things worst, and he wouldn't be able to handle Boomer if that happened.

So they slept.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Well, the Professor isn't in Dr. Edwards's house," Bubbles said to Buttercup.

"Well, where could he be?" Buttercup wondered.

"Do you think one of the villains kidnapped the Professor and while he's at it, Blossom too?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, he could. After all, the Professor's been kidnapped many times before," Buttercup remarked.

"But which villain?" wondered Bubbles. Soon, the answer hit them in the head. I was pretty obvious.

"Mojo Jojo!" answered both in unison.

Both sisters then flew towards Mojo Jojo's volcano top observatory.

Mojo Jojo was in his laboratory, fixing a ship in a bottle in honor of his biological father, of whom lived from 1901 to 1998.

"You've gone too far!" Buttercup began.

"…this time, Mojo Jojo!" Bubbles finished.

"So where's the professor and Blossom!" Buttercup demanded.

Mojo Jojo was so fixated upon what he was doing that he didn't even notice the hole in his lab that was created by the crashing in.

Buttercup was irritated that Mojo Jojo ignored them. She then went over what he was doing, took it, and crashed it into the monkey's head. It instantly broke into a million pieces.

"My model ship! I've been working on this for six months! You've ruined it!" Mojo complained.

"You deserve it! Now where is the Professor and Blossom!" asked Buttercup dangerously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm about as ignorant as you are. I am uninformed of what is happening. I am unaware that your professor is missing. I do not know what happened to Blossom. I am naïve about this whole affair. I don't know what you're talking about. I do not even know what to think of this. I…"

"Oh shut up, you stupid monkey," Buttercup dangerously said. "You have kidnapped the Professor many times before, you wanted revenge for what he did to you, and you've done it again."

"And this time, you were smart enough not to leave a note," Bubbles finished. "But you've done it before, so we know where to go once the Professor is missing!"

"I don't know how you got Blossom, but we're going to rescue them! So where are they?" Buttercup finished.

"Look, I have no plans to kidnap or kill the professor or kidnap or kill your redheaded sister who happens to be your leader and whose name is Blossom! I have no intention of committing any crime—today!" Mojo ranted.

"Liar! We know you well enough to be fooled by that!" Bubbles asserted.

"Go ahead and look at any nook and cranny in this lab!" Mojo finally said, flustered. "You will not find anything, nor will you find any justification for your pretentious accusations."

"This has got to be some kind of trick!" Buttercup explained. "Bubbles, get something to bind Mojo with so he can't do anything funny or escape while we're looking for the professor."

Bubbles then got some rope, tape and a couple of handkerchiefs. Buttercup then Mojo's hands behind him, then his feet too.

"What! You can't do this to me! You can't just break into my home and tie me up! This is an mmmpppphhhhhh!"

Buttercup just stuffed the handkerchiefs in Mojo's mouth to keep him quiet, and then duct taped his mouth. 'This should keep him quiet.'

The girls then searched the entire volcano-top observatory for any sign of the Professor and Blossom. Then searched every nook and cranny of Mojo's home for any sign of the Professor and Blossom, but found none.

Buttercup and Bubbles then went to Mojo, who all this time was trying to wiggle free of his bonds, but Buttercup, unlike Butch, could tie a fairly decent knot.

"Where did you hide the professor?" asked Bubbles.

"MMmmppphhhhhh!" he shouted in his gag.

"So, you wouldn't talk, ha?" said Buttercup. "Let's see you keep silent after this!" She then kicked the monkey on the stomach.

"Mmmmppphhhh!"

"Um Buttercup, I think you should remove the gag first," Bubbles suggested.

"Oh yeah," Buttercup said, feeling stupid. She then removed the tape and the wads of handkerchief in his mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mojo said.

Buttercup then kicked him again.

"Please, I really don't know what you're talking about. If I know, I'll tell you, but I don't know! Please don't hurt me!" cried a pathetic Mojo.

Buttercup was about to ignore him and kick him again when she felt Bubbles touch her shoulder. "I still think Mojo's the one responsible, but I don't think we should torture him. It's wrong, and we're the Powerpuff Girls, and we simply don't do these things."

"Alright! I won't torture him!" Buttercup then gagged Mojo again. Then they unexpectedly left Mojo's place.

They then arrived home, tired. They wanted to interrogate Mojo further but they know they would go nowhere with Buttercup's approach. Plus, they were hungry and tired. So they cooked themselves some dinner, ate supper, and went to bed.

"Oh Buttercup, what if the professor and Blossom is gone forever," Bubbles said as she began crying in her sister's shoulder. "Then I won't be able to show the Professor my latest drawing, or meet my new friends, or even attend my graduation."

"There, there, Bubbles, I'm sure the Professor's all right wherever he is right now, and Blossom too. Now go to sleep," Buttercup said, trying to comfort her sister. Bubbles then cried herself to sleep.

* * *

It was September 13.

Bubbles and Buttercup, Boomer and Butch had gone to school that morning. Boomer and Butch were disappointed when they woke up and didn't find their father and brother. Boomer just cried, and Butch just comforted him. Bubbles also cried that morning, but this time, Buttercup joined her.

They were miserable the rest of the day, barely listening to the teacher.

* * *

That afternoon…

Brick woke up from his deep slumber. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. He looked at his watch. 'So it's four in the afternoon.' Well at least that nap gave back my strength, though that beating still hurts like hell.' He then looked besides him. He saw Blossom still sleeping besides him. 'Yikes! That girl has been sleeping besides me all this time? Eeewww. I wonder what happened.' Then all the memories flooded back into him. 'Well, I hope that Zero won't give those sharks indigestion, then again, maybe they will.'

"Hey girl, wake up," he said, gently kicking her in the side.

"Huh, what?" Blossom said as she woke up. "And don't kick me again."

"I'm just trying to wake you up, dear leader," Brick said sarcastically.

"You could've at least shook me with your hand, or at least waited for me to wake up on my own," Blossom said as she fixed her long ruffled red hair. Brick hasn't got that problem because he just covered his hair with his cap. Blossom rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"What, and let me touch you? No way! I'd rather let a dog bite me in the neck than touch an ugly creature such as you!" Brick teased. "Besides, don't take it personal. I sometimes kick my brothers to wake them up, so why should I treat you any different?"

"Because, like slapping me in the back, I'm a girl, and you just don't do to girls what you do to guys! It's rude!" Blossom protested.

"Makes no difference to me!" Brick said.

"And you shouldn't treat your leader like this. Besides, I'm a very beautiful girl for my age!" declared Blossom in response to his ugly creature comment.

Brick just snickered at that remark.

"Besides, you should thank me for saving your life!" Blossom declared.

"Well, you should also thank me for also saving your life!" Brick retorted.

"Well, you would've have been shark meat if I hadn't caught you in time," said Blossom.

"What do you mean?" asked a curious Brick.

"Well, you collapsed right over the sea full of sharks," Blossom simply stated.

"Well, at least Zero or whatever his name is, is dead," Brick remarked.

"Well, we better go back. Our classmates would be wondering were we had been all day," Blossom suggested.

"Speaking of which, I think I better check on them. For all we know, they're so in over their heads on how to handle the situation that they'll be begging me to come back!" Brick joked before calling his brothers using his watch.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that too…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the same afternoon after class…

The other four kids were at Mojo's observatory, ready again to interrogate Mojo Jojo. Mojo was still tied up but his gag was removed.

"Hello Mojo. Ready to cooperate?" asked Buttercup.

"I am," Mojo replied.

"And let me introduce you to someone who might refresh your memory—Butch and Boomer," Buttercup said in a wicked tone.

Mojo turned white at the sight of his creations. He distinctly remembered his last encounter with the boys. "Oh boys, please, I have nothing to do with this. I did not do anything to your new father, Dr. Edwards. Please don't kill me!" he whined.

"It depends. If you sing, then maybe I'll consider not killing you," Butch threateningly said.

"Is Butch really gonna kill him," Bubbles whispered to Buttercup, concerned.

"Of course not," Buttercup whispered back. "Butch's just scaring him. And Mojo will believe him more than if I threatened to kill him."

"Okay. I'll sing. 'It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all," Mojo sang.

"No you idiot, I meant spill the beans on what you've done to Dad and Brick!" Butch retorted. "Now, talk!"

"I don't know. I'm telling you the truth. I did not do anything. I was only building my latest weapon yesterday, and was making my model ship, when those two girls busted in and started beating me up," Mojo said, in tears.

"Liar," Butch said before repeatedly kicking him. He then grabbed Mojo's throat and held it tight.

"Now, if you don't want it to be any tighter, you'll tell us where Dad and Brick is," Butch dangerously said.

"I don't know," Mojo replied. "Honest!"

"Ha, you're the last one who should claim to be honest!" Buttercup declared.

"Buttercup, I think this is going too far!" Bubbles complained.

"No. Mojo deserves it," Buttercup cruelly said. "He took the professor and Blossom, and we must find out where that monkey hid him."

"Wrong answer," Butch cackled. "Now, you shall pay." He then began squeezing Mojo's neck, with every intent on snuffing his life out, when they suddenly heard Brick's voice in his watch.

"Butch, what's up! Did you defeat the monster?" Brick asked.

Butch immediately dropped Mojo. "Brick, you're alive!" he shouted, he voice clearly showing his relief and his glee.

"Brick!" Boomer shouted, tears streaming out of his eyes. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm alive and okay. I'm Brick after all, and I'm not the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys for nothing you know!" Brick replied.

"Brick? Is Blossom there?" Bubbles asked with excitement.

"I'm here, Bubbles," Blossom said in Bubbles watch.

"Blossom? Blossom! You're alright!" Buttercup shouted, with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought you were…"

This time, both sisters very happy, hugging each other tight, with tears of joy.

Butch was the only one who wasn't acting overly emotional.

"So, how long was I out? I estimate it at a couple of hours, since I seemed to have passed out near eleven or twelve I think, and it's now four-fifteen," Brick asked his brother.

"Actually, you were gone more then twenty-hours, thirty hours to be exact," Boomer stated. "That's why we're so worried sick."

"Yeah! Boomer nearly died from panic," Butch teased.

"I did not!"

"Yeah, but you nearly lost it!"

"What, we were out cold for thirty hours?" exclaimed Blossom in surprise.

"Gee. I had no idea we were out so long," Brick expressed. "So that's why I can almost feel myself at full strength. I rested so long that I regained almost all of it, well, not quite, but it's close. Anyway, where are you?"

"We're in Mojo's lab," declared Butch.

"What are you…never mind. Just wait for me. And I want to hear everything that happened," Brick said, then put off his watch.

"Well, Blossom, is the Professor with you?" asked Bubbles.

"Of course not. Isn't he there with you?" asked Blossom.

"Well, no. Actually, we thought he was with you," replied Buttercup. "The Professor is kinda missing, and we thought Mojo kidnapped you and him. That's why we're here. We're kinda interrogating him to find out where the Professor is."

"What, the Professor is missing! Oh no! Just wait for me there," Blossom said, before turning off her watch.

A few minutes later, Brick arrived. What he saw, Mojo tied and bloodied, shocked him, not because he pitied Mojo, but he had no idea why his brothers were doing this.

"What is going on here? Boomer, Butch, tell me exactly what happened since the leader and I left school to deal with those bank robbers," Brick demanded.

Both brothers looked at each other and gulped. 'We're in for it now!'

Both brothers pretty much told Brick everything, since it's no use lying since both the girls were there and would refute any lie that they would say. Plus, the fights were all caught in tape, so lying would only make things worst. They continued right up till they discovered Dr. Edwards was missing.

At that point, Blossom arrived. "Girls, where's the Professor?" she asked frantically.

"Well, we don't know. Mojo's hidden them somewhere, and he still won't talk," Buttercup declared.

Brick looked dangerously at his brothers. He was boiling mad this time, but kept it to himself. "Boomer, Butch, let's go home. I want to speak to you, privately," Brick said.

Boomer and Butch knew exactly what that meant. They saw the look on Brick's eyes and were deathly terrified by it. "Yes Brick," they simply said.

"Good. Blossom, I'd like to tell you that I think that Mojo is not responsible for our Dad's disappearances so that you won't kill the wrong villain. Well, that's what I think," Brick said.

"Well, don't be too hard on your brothers, you hear?" Blossom said.

"Me too hard? No!" Brick said before taking off with his brothers.

"Now, tell me exactly what happened," Blossom said.

So Buttercup and Bubbles told Blossom what happened.

"Buttercup, I'm very disappointed in you," Blossom lectured after hearing the narrative. "I mean, I don't exactly expect you to be friends with Butch, but you could at least have killed or made sure the monsters were dead before you fought each other. Now look at what happened. Boomer and Bubbles did your job instead of you, and on top of that, your squabbles have hurt Bubbles and Boomer. Now, what have you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry because of what happened to Bubbles, and I'm not proud that it was Bubbles, and not me, who did my own job, but it was Butch's fault, not mine!" Buttercup defended.

"Look, I don't care whose fault is it! But at least the monster was defeated, no thanks to you!" she then glared at her. "Well, you did a fine job, Bubbles.

"Thanks," Bubbles said.

"So, what makes you think Mojo was behind the Professor's disappearance?" Blossom asked.

"Well, who else would take the Professor?" Bubbles exclaimed.

"Yeah Red," Buttercup added. "I mean he's done this lots of times before, so logically, he's the one who done it again!"

"Any other proof?" asked Blossom.

"No. Besides, we don't need one if Mojo's the one we're talking about! We know he's capable of doing such a thing, and that's good enough for me!" Buttercup said.

"Mojo, is this true?" Blossom asked.

"No it isn't. I swear! I have nothing to do with it! Yes, I wanted revenge on the Professor, but not yesterday, or the day before today, or on September the twelfth! I was just working on my lab making new weapons to rule the world and making my model ship, and when suddenly, your sisters burst through and started beating me up!"

"Ha, Blossom wouldn't believe lies such as yours," Buttercup shouted at Mojo.

"Buttercup, free Mojo and apologize to him," ordered Blossom.

"What? But…" Buttercup began.

"Look, it's true that Mojo repeatedly kidnapped the professor in the past, but he always brags about it and always informs us. Just look what happened when he kidnapped us earlier. He had us all helpless and it blew up in his face when he gloated to Dr. Edwards. No, Mojo isn't the type to hide this kind of thing. Buttercup, what was he doing when you broke in?"

"Well, um, uh…" Buttercup was lost for words.

"Well Blossom, Mojo was doing and fixing his model ship, when we crashed in and Buttercup smashed the ship in the bottle in Mojo's head," Bubbles explained.

"And whenever he kidnaps the Professor, he usually is secured to a table or something with some laser or any other weapon pointed at him, and he usually has something in store for us. Sorry, it's not like Mojo at all. Plus the fact that there was no Professor or Dr. Edwards in the entire premises, there is no proof at all. Mojo is a coward and he'll sing like a bird if threatened and the fact that he didn't," Blossom explained. "Sorry Buttercup, but the theory that Mojo kidnapped the Professor this time and hid him somewhere doesn't hold water. It just isn't his style."

"But what if he's lying!" said Buttercup.

"But what if he's not? If you forget the time when we thought the boys was lying about their alliance with Mojo, and we nearly destroyed our reputations in the process," Blossom said. "So drop it. Mojo isn't the one responsible for the Professor disappearance!"

"I guess you're right," said Buttercup in shame.

"Sorry Blossom," Bubbles said as she untied Mojo. "Sorry Mojo."

"Yeah, sorry Mojo. I guess you weren't up to anything nasty—today or yesterday at least," Buttercup said. "And Blossom, I'm sorry. We didn't act like the Powerpuff Girls, and we should've made sure he really was guilty."

"Well, it's alright. At least you know that what you did was wrong. I'm sorry Mojo," Blossom said. "Anyway, let's go home. Maybe the Professor just went somewhere and forgot to tell us about it. You know how absent minded he can be sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe that's it! Why did I never think of that before," Buttercup exclaimed.

The girls tried to believe Blossom's explanation for the Professor's disappearance, but had a hard time trying to.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Butch you idiot!" Brick shouted as soon as they were inside their house and Brick was sure no one else was hearing them. "You endangered Boomer's life by your and Buttercup's incompetence in fighting that monster? Why can't you work together like Boomer and Bubbles did, or Blossom and I did? I might not like working with them, but at least it got the job done!"

"Look, I'm sorry," Butch apologized. "I should've killed that monster earlier and I shouldn't have fooled around. But it's all Buttercup's fault."

"I don't care whose fault it is! You messed up!" Brick retorted. "But that's over, so let's forget about it. Now, we have another problem. Dad is missing. Boomer, weren't you and Bubbles ordered to check on Dad?"

"Yeah, but we…"

"I know, I know, a bunch of locust-like things attacked you then you have to finish Butch's unfinished job, but why didn't you check on Dad after that?" Brick asked exasperatedly.

"Um, I forgot," Boomer said in a low voice.

"You forgot? You forgot! Ha, ha! You forgot! And now look what happened. Because you forgot, Dad is missing! You're a moron—you know that! You were very irresponsible too!" Brick shouted.

"Hey, don't call me names!"

"Well, I wouldn't if Dad was alright with us," Brick said.

"I'm sorry," Boomer apologized. "I guess it's my fault Dad is missing."

"No, it's not your fault," Brick said.

"But if it wasn't for me…" Boomer said, again bursting into tears.

"Boomer, don't cry and act like a girl. I forgive you, and I'm sure Dad will too," he comforted, "but you acted like a moron, and very irresponsibly too. Anyway, what made you think that Mojo is behind it all?"

"Well," Butch explained, "Buttercup and Bubbles explained to Boomer that Mojo had a history of kidnapping the professor, and since Dad is with the professor, well, maybe Mojo took Dad too."

"And is there any evidence aside from his past actions?" asked Brick.

"No."

"Well, you screwed-up again! Mojo is not the one who did it because I think I might know who kidnapped the professor," Brick stated.

"Well, who is it?"

"Simple. Whoever sent those thieves probably decided to kidnap Dad instead. And I'm pretty sure that Mojo is not their master, because that's not Mojo's style, and we haven't seen any minion within miles around him. Wouldn't it make more sense if there were many of those minions around his observatory if he was the master?"

"Well, if you put it that way," Butch said, "it does make sense."

"But how do we find Dad?" Boomer asked.

"I don't know. I'll have to talk to Blossom first. Maybe she knows something that will lead us to him," Brick retorted.

The phone rang.

"Hey, maybe that's Dad!" Brick exclaimed as he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this one of the sons of Dr. Edwards?"

"Yes. This is William Bricker," Brick replied.

"Brick, this is Police Chief Alexander Grulp. I think I have something that you might want to see here in the station. You see, we saw your Dad's car. I just want you to identify it to make sure," Grulp explained.

"But is Dad there?" asked an anxious Brick.

"No. But there is something in here you might want to see," the police chief said.

"Okay," Brick said before hanging up the phone.

So the three boys went to the police station. Soon, the police showed them the car.

The boys were totally shocked. Their father's car was so riddled with bullet holes that it's a miracle it didn't explode. Then there was blood all over the front seat, but strangely, none on the other seats.

"Dad!" Boomer shouted, then cried. "Dad! It can't be! Is he…"

"We don't know," said Grulp.

Butch and Brick maintained their cold exterior, but both were shocked, and emotions were raging inside of them.

"We gotta leave," Brick said, fighting his tears.

"I understand," said Grulp. Soon, the boys raced towards home. It had happened. The car had confirmed their worst fears.

When they reached their home, Boomer burst into tears and cried and bawled.

Brick just stood there, tears streaming down his cheeks. "He's gone. He's dead," he said to himself, but didn't lose himself like Boomer did.

Butch just sat there, and fought all urges to cry, but was very hurt and sad inside.

Brick then went and decided on a course of action that would totally shock his brothers and the Powerpuff Girls further.

"Boomer, Butch, I want to say something," Brick began with emotion. "I am the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys since the beginning, and things had not always turned out the way we wished it would be. Yet I haven't considered myself as a failure as a leader, until now. But now, we are in a bind. We as a group failed to protect Dad, in spite of everything. We have lost someone who is very precious to us. And I am the leader. I failed in my work. I let you down guys, I failed you as a leader. _**And since a leader must always take responsibility of all the bad things that happened to his men, and he must be held accountable,**_ then I decided to punish myself. I'll admit it, it's all my fault that I let this all happen. Because of my crappy leadership, Dad is dead, and I no longer deserve to be the leader. Therefore, I appoint Butch as the new leader, and I resign as the leader. Butch, if you need any advice on being a leader, I'll be willing to help. Don't worry, I'll still be a Rowdyruff. I'll just be taking orders from Butch from now on. Sorry guys for screwing up."

Butch and Boomer were shocked. "Brick!" shouted Butch.

"Don't say anything that would make me change my mind right now, understand?" Brick snapped. He then flew away towards the forest to be alone.

Butch decided to chase him.

But Boomer stopped him.

"He took this very hard," Boomer said. "I think it's better if we let him be alone for a while. Maybe he'll come back to his senses and agree to be the leader again."

It's painful to see their brother, their proud, confident, arrogant leader, to fall to such lows of confidence on himself in such a fast time. An hour ago, he was just lecturing them about what they've done wrong, then after finding about the car, he resigned as the leader.


	14. Outdoing Machiavelli

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 14 **

**Outdoing Machiavelli**

The City of Townsville, or rather, on some secure undisclosed location…

Dr. William Edwards and Prof. John Utonium had just recovered from unconsciousness.

"Oh, that gas made me sick," William remarked, shaking his head.

"Not as much as that liver and onions that my girls made me," John replied, clutching his stomach.

"So it's bad, eh?"

"Yeah, I didn't know what I was thinking when I told them it was my favorite!"

"Well, I'll bet it's a lot better than anything my boys have whooped!" Dr. Edwards remarked.

"Ah, so the rich Dr. Edwards and the famous Professor Utonium are awake," a small man, about 5'4" tall, thin, about 92 lbs., wearing a stripped purple suit, said. He wears a large dark glasses which covers his entire upper face. He has a carefully combed blond hair.

"And you are?" the six-foot tall John asked.

"The eight dwarf of Snow White?" cracked the six-foot-two inches tall, William, causing the other scientist to snicker.

"Don't make fun of my height! I am not a dwarf! I'm just average!" said the man. "James Madison is 5'4" you know and Napoleon Bonaparte is 5'2"!"

"Okay, okay, you're just average. So, who are you, and why did you kidnap us?" demanded the Professor.

"Ah, so you decided to take this seriously. Okay, seeing that you won't have a chance of getting out…"

"I dispute that assertion!" William interrupted.

"Don't interrupt me! If you let me just finish then you would know that you're in a place that there's absolutely no chance of escape! Anyway, I am Ferguson Ckracknow. I have kidnapped you because I found it impossible in the past few days to steal the data on the monster hide—"

"So you're the one who sent those white eyed men with no fingerprints," William interrupted.

"Will you stop interrupting me, Doctor!" Ckracknow shouted. "You are my captives and you will behave as such! God, you are worst than five-year-olds in a kindergarten, at least they shut-up when the teacher yells at them. You, on the other hand, are full grown men in their forties with positions of responsibility, and you can't let me finish one fuc—"

"Hey, I resent that!" John interrupted. "I do not interrupt anybody when they're talking!"

"See! You're doing that again! Will you fcking shut your traps!" Ckracknow shouted. "Anyway, sorry for the profanity, but I needed to get my point across. Now, to answer your question doctor, yes, I was the one who sent those men with white eyes and no fingerprints. In fact, these bodyguards behind me are just like the ones I sent to steal the data of the monster hide," explained Ckracknow.

Dr. Edwards and Professor then noticed the three bodyguards behind their captor. They were about as tall as they were, wearing black, shades and gloves. They were each holding a .45 gun.

"Seventy-two, One-Hundred-thirty-six, Ninety-nine, could you take off your shades and show these two gentlemen your eyes," Cracknow ordered.

"Yes sir, Mr. Ckracknow," said Ninety-nine. The three bodyguards then took off their shades and bared their eyes to the two scientists. Professor was shocked to say the least to see only whites in their eyes, while Dr. Edwards wasn't quite as shocked because he had seen it before.

"Okay, why do you want the monster hide and why have you kidnapped us?" asked William.

"Well, I only planned to kidnap you, Dr. Edwards, but since the Professor was also there, why pass up the opportunity? After all, after failing to kill the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys these past few days, what better way to demoralize them by taking away their parents?" Cracknow explained.

"What? How did you try killing my girls? I never knew anybody who tried killing my girls these past few days except those monsters," John wondered.

"But you see, I sent those monsters," Ckracknow boasted.

"What? How?" John stuttered, utterly amazed at his captor's last statement.

"Yeah, don't tell me you're the one who created the monsters all along," William added.

"Yes and no," Ckracknow replied. "You see, I didn't create those monsters. They naturally existed on Monster Island, but for some reason, they started attacking Townsville. Anyway, I decided to see if I can make experiments on them, and try to make them work to my advantage."

"But how can you kidnap monsters?" asked a curious William.

"Just bring a giant tranquilizer the size of small log, and instead of shooting it from a gun, shoot it from artillery. Then all you need is two dozen or so transporters to bring the monsters here, and voila, I got my monster. And it's so easy to brainwash these creatures to do my bidding," Ckracknow said. "I added enhancements, like putting duranium armor, or making them spit locusts, to make them invincible so that they could easily kill the Powerpuff Girls. Unfortunately, I was unable to anticipate the Rowdyruff Boys joining the girls, and that messed up my plans. I must say, for former enemies, those boys cooperate superbly with the girls."

"Well, you should at least have known that nothing could defeat the Powerpuff Girls!" John boasted.

"Yeah, and my boys ain't no walk in the park either!" William added.

"But why kidnap us?" asked John.

"Ah, you already know that I want that data on the monster hide," Ckracknow said. "After the failures of the thieves I sent, I decided to change tactics. With those monsters and One as a distraction—"

"Who's One?" asked William.

"Will you please let me finish? One is the clone I made and designed to be powerful enough to destroy the Powerpuff Girls. Apparently, he wasn't been able to do the job! Anyway, with your children out of the way, I easily kidnapped you, Doctor, and to make it even sweeter, I bagged the Professor too!"

"But what do you want with us?" asked John.

"Isn't it clear Professor?" Cracknow answered. "I want the Doctor and you to give me the data on the monster hide. Or if you don't have it, then use my lab to again discover it! And when you do, give it to me!"

"Well, I won't do it! I'd rather have my face shoved into manure than give in to you!" William declared.

"Same goes for me," John added. "I will not use my knowledge to help someone as evil as you!"

"Are you sure about that?" Cracknow asked.

"As sure as hell!" William defiantly said.

"Professor?"

"I'm never been surer in my life!" John seconded.

"Very well! If you wanted it that way, then so be it," Ckracknow gravely said. He then turned towards his two bodyguards. "Seventy-Two, you and your buddies try to persuade those two using the usual methods…hey, what the?"

John had switched off the light in the room while his captor has his back turned on him while talking to his musclemen. Then he and William scrambled out of the room while the four were distracted.

The door to the room was unlocked and unguarded, they found out to their pleasant surprise.

"Just like old times, don't you agree, William my boy!" John replied.

"Yeah, but back then, we were running from bullies and the principal, but this is just as much fun, if not more!" William agreed while running.

"Stop them!" Ckracknow shouted. "Don't let them get away, you idiots!" the two heard him say. The two scientists then rounded a corner.

"Now what?" asked John.

"How the hell would I know?" William retorted. "Look, we're somewhere in the middle on nowhere, we don't know exactly where this nowhere is, and we haven't have the foggiest idea where's the exit!"

"I know! Isn't it great!" John said.

"You're crazy," William retorted. "But yeah, count me as crazy! I'm enjoying this too."

Soon, the entire place was in full alert, with redlights and horns blaring, and soon, the place was full of black-clothed men with shades running around.

"Shh! I hear someone coming!" John warned, covering his colleague's mouth.

They hid in a corner, waiting for the man to come. Soon, a man of average height with a .45 gun in his hand and another in his pocket entered. He was alone.

William quickly went behind him, grabbed his head, and quickly snapped its neck. They then each grabbed his guns and took all his bullets from his pouches.

"Easy as taking candy from a baby," William said, pleased with himself.

"Wow. Where'd you learn that?" asked John.

"Well, I've seen it done lots of times in the movies. I thought maybe it would work," William shrugged.

They soon heard a thud of footsteps coming towards them. "Do you know how to shoot and if you are, are you a good shot?" asked William.

"Are you kidding? We both hunted in your Dad's woods while we were still kids. We both know we can shoot a coin a mile away!" John bragged.

"Good. Just do like I do," instructed his companion. William then went in the middle of the corridor and aimed his gun at the direction where he heard the footsteps coming from.

John thought William was crazy, but did as William instructed. Soon, about twenty thugs appeared, all with guns, running towards them. William began shooting. John did the same.

Two were immediately killed, while the rest began shooting back. In a miraculous gunfight, not one of the bullets hit the two scientists while the two killed each and every one of their enemies. "Ha, ever since they shot me point blank and missed, I knew they can't aim to save their lives!"

"That was absolutely reckless! What if they were better shots?" John thundered. "But that was fun! And exciting too! So I guess I can forgive you for that!"

"Anyway, let's vamoose!" William said.

So the two begun running away, blasting all those who would get in their way.

They ran into a room but it was pitch black. Then, they felt a couple of men grab them. They fought back, but without any kind of light, they were at a disadvantage. Soon, they were pinned to the floor by four men each. Then the lights were switched on. The two scientists saw the room surrounded by the white eyed men with black clothes and with night-vision goggles. It was creepy seeing them all remove the goggles and see all those white eyes and replacing them with sunglasses. At the middle of them was Ckracknow.

"My, my, you two are very naughty today, aren't you?" said Ckracknow, like an uncle scolding his nephews. "No matter, a few hours with my boys should cure you of any of your immaturity and your defiance. Boys, you know what to do, just don't get them too beat up or they might not be able to do all those research! One Hundred Sixteen, make sure they don't get out of hand. Just punch them and kick them but don't do really nasty stuff, okay?"

"Yes sir!" said One Hundred Sixteen.

So for the next two hours, they were beaten up. They were repeatedly punched, kicked, elbowed and generally tortured, though they avoided extreme stuff.

* * *

Two hours later…

Ferguson Ckracknow entered the room, where John and William were chained to the wall. They were still dressed, though both scientists coats were taken off. The Professor's white shirt has now several red spots to indicate wounds. His tie is hanging loosely around his neck. He is still wearing his shoes and trousers. His face has several black spots due to being repeatedly beaten up. The Doctor has his vest unbuttoned, though he was still wearing it. His tie is hanging loosely from his neck. His hat is still on his head, though it's obvious that the men just put it on his head because of its position. His body is full of bruises, and his shirt had several red spots. He still wore his thick glasses, though both his eyes are black. Surprisingly, they were still conscious and they could not be considered in near-death condition.

"So, you ready to work for me now?" asked Ckracknow.

"Never! And my sons will find you. I am the father of the Rowdyruff Boys, and they won't stop until they find me!" William declared.

"They won't. You see, after we kidnapped you, my boys machine-gunned your car and sprinkled blood all over you chair. Now, they'd think you're dead, and the girls would probably put two and two together and also conclude that you are dead too, Professor. Now, they wouldn't bother searching for a dead father, would they?" Ckracknow said.

"I still won't change my mind, and neither will William!" the Professor stated.

"Release the prisoners. Can you walk, or are you too weak? I'll let my boys carry you?"

The scientists immediately fell to the floor after being released. They, however, managed to stand, all the while rubbing their wrists. William straightened his hat and grabbed his coat on the floor, while John did the same.

"No, I'll walk," William weakly said, while John said nothing.

"Okay, follow me," Ckracknow said. Flanked by several bodyguards, he walked through a series of corridors with the two limping behind him, straining to avoid passing out. Soon, they reached a metal door with bars in it. Opening it, they tossed John and William in.

The room has two beds with woolen blankets, a bathroom, a small table, an air vent, an electric fan, a fluorescent light, a lavatory, and running water, though it has little else.

"Look, I'm going to make a proposition to you. Work for me, and I won't kill your children," Ckracknow said. "If not, then I will kill not only you but your children too!" He then threw in a bag into the room, and then locked it.

William then grabbed the bag and opened it. It has bandages, adhesive tapes, betadine, alcohol, scissors, cotton, two bags of ice and other first aid equipment.

"Looks like he didn't want us dead," said the doctor as he began treating the Professor's wounds.

"Yeah. I don't know what that mad scientist is up to," replied the Professor.

"Well, one thing's for sure, I won't work for him," declared William.

"Or maybe we could," said the Professor.

"Huh, what do you mean?" asked an astonished William.

"Well, we could pretend to work for him, and milk him in the process," suggested John as his companion cleaned his wounds. "At least he won't send another of those monsters, while we could get access to his files. And we could get out in the process—all the while giving nothing in return, and he won't realize it until it's too late."

"I follow you," said William. "I think that you've got some kind of plan," Dr. Edwards added.

John then told his companion his plan.

After an hour, after the patched up John patched up William, they snickered and laughed before falling asleep.

* * *

The next day…

"So, you've reconsidered?" asked Ckracknow as his boys put in a simple breakfast.

"Yeah, we thought about it, and decided—it depends," William slyly said.

"On what?" asked a curious Ckracknow.

"On you following our conditions," said John.

"Look, you're in no position to make demands!" Ckracknow said.

"On the contrary, we are. You see, we know that you want data, but you could only have it with our cooperation," William began.

"We are willing to give you what you want, if you will give us what we want," John continued. "You see, if you kill us, you would gain nothing, and you know perfect well that we are willing to play the part of martyr. You will be back where you started from, with no idea at all on the monster hide. Sure, torture us, but we would never give it to you if you do that, and you won't have what you want."

"However, if you grant us our modest demands, then we would give you what you want. You will have the data on the monster hide, plus you would gain our future services," William followed.

Ckracknow began to think. 'They're right. I would gain nothing if I kill them, and it looks like threats won't work.' "So, yesterday, you're all defiant, now you're ready to make a deal? What gives?"

"Simple," said William. "We still detest you, but we're also practical. We have come to the realization that working for you is the only realistic option for us."

"Okay," said Ckracknow, still unconvinced. "What are your terms?"

"First, our rooms be transferred to a more, let's just say, luxurious ones. Our room was too small, and I need big ones. After all, John and I share the same room," William started.

"Plus, we must have all your data on the monsters you experimented with. Don't worry, with us having no chance of escape, you won't have to worry about us giving it away," John added. "Besides, it would greatly help us in our research."

"And, you must give us a new set of clothes. A suit, a fresh shirt, a fedora hat, a tie, a vest would do for me, while a white lab coat with fresh shirt for John," William continued. "Plus, we must be treated as guests, not prisoners, even though we are."

"Also, all our property on our person stolen from us during our period of unconsciousness, like our money, our wallets, our watches and our handkerchiefs, be returned. You can keep the guns, by the way," John said.

"Plus, our meals must be of first class variety, not like the ones you served us last night," said William.

"What do you say?" asked both of them.

"That is not unreasonable, though I don't see the point in returning your wallets and watches," Ckracknow wondered.

"Oh, you know, they are sentimental items that would make us happier," John replied.

"Well, you'll get it them. Just as long as you work on getting me that data on the monster hide," Ckracknow said. "I must commend you. You two are tough bargainers."

He served them with a delicious breakfast, then gave them a new set of clothes. The Professor again took the tie and shirt with a white lab coat, while the doctor took a conservative business suit, with vests and of course, a hat.

He then gave them a rather large room, with a complete wardrobe, two bathrooms, a vanity, a television set with a cable connected to a satellite dish, a computer without internet connection, three huge shelves full of books, with carpets and paintings hanging in the walls. It has a thermostat.

"Wow, we could really live it up!" John stated.

After that, Ckracknow returned most the stolen items, including John and William's wallets, some coins, some key chains, and John's wrist watch, and most importantly, William's communicator watch.

'So, Ckracknow didn't know this is a communicator watch,' Dr. Edwards thought. 'Sucker!' And it was a very ordinarily looking watch—so banal looking that Ckracknow never gave a thought to it when he gave the watch back. It's a decision the mad scientist will live to regret.

"I'll give you the rest of the day to rest," Ckracknow said as he left the room. "Tomorrow, you start!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick had flown rapidly towards the edge of the lake. His heart was heavy. 'Because of me, Dad is dead. If I am really a worthy leader of my brothers, then this wouldn't happen. Oh Dad, you're dead! Sorry for failing you! I don't deserve to be the leader!' He landed at the edge of the lake, where he recalled some of his fondest memories—the time of numerous father-son bonding experiences. The emotions all struck him at once, and he could no longer hold back. Looking around to make sure nobody is looking, the six-year-old former leader broke down and cried.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Butch was still stunned over Brick's resignation, and digesting the fact that he was now the leader, while Boomer was still bawling over his father's death. Soon, he heard the phone.

Despite his crying, Boomer wiped his tears and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" said Boomer.

"Hey Boomie, is Brick there? Blossom wants to call a meeting because—" Bubbles said.

"Brick isn't here. Dad is dead and Brick just resigned as leader and gone to some place and Butch is now the new leader," Boomer said and hanged-up so that Bubbles won't hear him cry. He then continued crying. Butch just stood there, fighting his tears, but after a few minutes, locked himself in a room to make sure no one would see, and cried himself out.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Bubbles was just stunned at the news. They had just returned from Mojo's observatory after apologizing for their mishap to the angry monkey, and Blossom decided some meeting is in order before they could take their next step. She therefore asked Bubbles to call Brick home, since she didn't want to accidentally talk to Boomer and Butch.

"What did they say Bubbles?" asked a concerned Buttercup.

"Well, Dr. Edwards is dead, Brick isn't anymore leader, and Butch is," Bubbles said, before she herself hugged Buttercup and cried at her shoulders.

"Dr. Edwards dead? How do they know that? And Brick can't resign as leader," declared Blossom. She could not believe that Dr. Edwards is dead. "Buttercup, Bubbles, stay here while I talk to the boys."

Blossom then raced towards Dr. Edwards's house. She was passing over the lake when she saw Brick—crying. She then hid herself behind the trees as she watched Brick cry himself out.

"Why? Why did it have to happen!" he shouted, then repeatedly fired laser in the lake, after which he pounded a large crater.

Blossom watched silently, but something went up her nose and she sneezed. Brick heard Blossom's sneeze, and at once dried his tears and stopped his sobbing. "Whoever it is, show yourself," he warned.

"Hold it, it's only me," Blossom said, showing herself.

"What are you doing here? Why are you trespassing on Dad's property without permission, and why are you spying on me?" demanded Brick, all his past weeping disappeared, though his sadness could still be seen in his eyes.

"Look, I just learned that you thought your father was dead, and that you resigned as leader, and I wanted to talk to you," Blossom said. "I never thought I would see you cry and go nuts. You really must be close to your Dr. Edwards."

"I'm just practicing my moves, and I'm not crying! Some dust just went to my eyes!" Brick lamely explained.

'Yeah right!' Blossom thought. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something?"

"About what?" asked Brick in a still harsh tone.

"What made you think that your father is dead? Did you see his body?" asked the redhead.

"No. But I found something just as good. A while ago, I received a call from Chief Grulp, telling us to go to the police station. And there, I saw Dad's car riddled with bullets and with blood all over the driver's seat. What else could have happened? Those people who earlier tried to kill Dad must have succeeded, and we failed to protect him," Brick said.

Blossom was speechless at the new piece of information. And couple it with the possibility that the Professor might be dead too.

"Is the Professor too?"

"I'm not sure. There was only blood on one chair. The Professor wasn't in the car when whoever killed him opened fired at the car," Brick admitted. "You're lucky, Blossom, the Professor is only missing, and might be alive, while I'm sure Dad is dead."

"Oh I'm very sorry," Blossom said, touching Brick's shoulder. Brick immediately removed Blossom's hand and moved farther away from her. Tears began dropping from her eyes. She too was close to the Rowdyruff's father, and remembered when he rescued them from Mojo earlier. She then fell down to the ground, curled up, and cried. Brick, deep in thought, just stared at the lake, and didn't notice Blossom's crying.

* * *

A few minutes later…

Blossom then dried her tears, and controlled herself more. She was sad, but she was determined not to give up, but she needed Brick and his brothers to do it. So she approached him.

"Brick, I'm very sorry but I think we should discuss our next plans—" Blossom began.

"I'm sorry Blossom, but I'm not the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys anymore. If you want to discuss your plans, or if you want to plan, then go to Butch. He's the new leader," Brick replied.

"But why did you resign? It's not your fault your father was lost you know!" Blossom said. "We were doing our duty, and if you remember, we were battling One when they all disappeared!"

"Yes, but Blossom, when the country is in trouble, the people blame President of the United States, even if it's not his fault. If a company failed, or incurred major losses, the CEO resigns. A leader is always the one responsible to what happens to his organization, to his alliance. As Harry Truman says, the buck stops here, and I cannot blame others. A leader who leads his team to disaster, whether or not it's his fault, is not fit to be a leader for a few more seconds. Even if its' Butch and Boomer's fault, I'm still responsible, and any mistake they make is my mistake too. And never publicly blame any of your people. I never accused them in front of everybody, even in front of Dad. And since I am the leader when this disaster happened, then the only thing to do is for me to resign," Brick explained. "I made a pledge to always protect Dad, and I failed. Maybe Butch would be a better leader."

"But it only works if the leader that replaces you is more competent than you!" Blossom argued. "And Butch certainly is not fit to lead the Rowdyruff Boys, at least compared to you!"

"You have crossed the line, Blossom. Never insult my brothers in front of me again!"

"Okay, I won't," Blossom said, realizing she touched a nerve. She then tried another tack. "Brick, as the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, I order you to resume your post as leader of the Rowdyruff Boys!"

"Your authority doesn't extend to this subject matter. It is an internal matter of us," Brick sharply said. "And why are you asking me this? You have no business and no say on who will and who won't be the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys!"

"Because, as you yourself had said before, it's because it's in _my_ interest, therefore, it's also my business. You see, we both know that Butch or Boomer won't listen to me—and my authority as leader would be undercut if either of them is the leader. My interest is in preserving my viability as leader of this alliance, and in keeping you leader, since you alone among your brothers have enough sense to listen to me. Plus, your advice is invaluable, and I'm a better leader because of you," Blossom explained.

"Well, then tough. I'm sure I can persuade Butch to listen to you, but you'll have to deal with his rudeness, which if you thought mine was bad, his is worst," Brick said. "Your complements are flattering, though hardly enough to convince me to be the leader again. You see, I have failed, and as such, don't deserve to be the leader again."

"You can't just give up," Blossom said. "Especially now! We are in a crisis, Brick, and we need you right this moment."

"I know, but I'll still be a Rowdyruff Boy you know. I'll only be taking orders from Butch from now on," Brick said. "So I'm not running away you know, I'm just demoting myself."

"But your talents are as a leader!" Blossom protested. "You can help us most if you are the leader! You see, your brothers respect and look up to you! And you're intelligent and have enough common sense to lead your brothers!"

"Well, give Butch a chance, eh? I'm sure he'll turn out great," though the tone of his voice indicates that even he does not believe that about his brother.

"Well, I've gotta go, it's late," Blossom said. "I still think what you're doing is crazy, but I hope you change your mind soon."

So Blossom left and went back for home, while Brick went back to his.

Boomer and Butch had already stopped sobbing.

"Brick, are you sure I'm really the leader?" asked Butch, still not believing his ears.

"Yup, you are the leader," said Brick. "Okay, what's your first order?"

"Um well, I think we should get something to eat," Butch proposed.

"What's your plan for catching whoever killed Dad?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah, and Blossom wants to meet with you to plan the next moves," Brick said.

"What, do I have to meet with that girl?" Butch asked with distaste.

"Well, she is the leader of the Alliance, and unless you want her to make decisions without consulting you then you better. But you're the leader, it's your call," Brick advised.

Butch then ordered some pizza using his Dad's credit card. There was a funny feeling using a credit card of someone you thought was dead. They ate dinner that night grimly, without any of the revelry that usually accompanies Edwards family dinners. They were all sad because of the conspicuous absence of their beloved father.

* * *

After dinner…

Butch rose and floated above the table. "I have made my decision. I won't be meeting with Blossom because I can't stand her, and I dissolve the Ruff-Puff Alliance!"

Brick and Boomer were flabbergasted by their new leader's first decision. Brick nearly choked on the pizza he's eating, while Boomer dropped the slice in his hands.

"Well?" asked Butch after a minute of silence.

"But why?" Boomer finally asked.

"I don't like any of them anyway, especially Buttercup and Blossom, but also Bubbles. So why continue the alliance? We don't need them. Besides, we're the Rowdyruff Boys! We don't need to work with sissies to get what we want!" Butch explained. "I also have a bone to pick with Buttercup!"

"But you can't!" Brick protested.

"And why not?"

"Because you're wrong! We can't do it by ourselves! And we can't afford not to work with them right now!" Brick argued. "I don't like the girls anymore than you do, but think! Use your common sense! What you're proposing will lead us to disaster! We'll be back to square one! And all the progress that we made since Dad recreated us will be for naught!"

"No. Dad would be proud of us," Butch countered. "He wouldn't want us to be lapdogs to the girls, they way you had been to Blossom, Brick!"

Brick glared dangerously at his leader. "Don't push your luck, Butch! I am not a lapdog to Blossom! I am not subservient to her!"

"I won't argue that one with you, but my decision stays," Butch said.

Brick then mustered all his knowledge and common sense and his rhetoric in a defense of the Alliance to try and convince Butch.

"I know you don't like them, but think! Our future would be much better if we were allied with those girls! We don't have to like them to work with them! We can't kill them or eliminate them, so we have to live with them. We can't avoid them. So it's better to work with them than have them work against us!"

"Besides, we would have been defeated or even killed if we fought alone those monsters," Brick argued. "Our enemies wants both us and the Powerpuff Girls dead, and they would not want anything better than us divided. Remember, United We Stand, Divided We Fall! We'll be as helpless as flies in flypaper if we're divided! It's for our own selfish self-interests that we have an alliance! Even if we can't stand them, then we must hold our noses, for if we don't work with them, then we won't stand at all!"

"We must use our common sense! We must see that our own self-interests are served in making decisions. You must never use emotions in making decisions, because it blinds us to seeing our true interests. That is why I followed Blossom even if I can't stand doing it, because it's in our interests!" Brick said. "Remember, always seek what is best for us, not what makes us feel good, in making decisions. So please, Butch, don't destroy the alliance."

His fire returned to his eyes, and it seemed that he had gotten over his sadness. However, it was not to be.

"Besides, Brick is right. I don't like Blossom as leader, but we really need the alliance," Boomer added, dazzled by his brother's speech.

Butch was also impressed by his brother's speech. He can't make any counterarguments to it and he knew he couldn't hold his own if he debated his former leader. 'Damn! That was good! And what Brick said made sense. But I'm the leader now, and I won't make him make decisions for me!'

"Brick, I'm the leader, and I will determine what is good for us! And I say that it is good that we fight alone, without the girls! I am the leader, and I will dissolve the alliance!"

"But…" Brick protested.

"And Brick, if this alliance is so precious to you, then take back your position as leader. I'll give it back to you," offered Butch. "If not, then don't lecture me on what to do."

Brick was caught in a dilemma. Then, going against his own advice, he rejected Butch's offer. "Sorry, I won't. I don't deserve to be the leader."

"Then you'll accept that the alliance is gone," Butch said. "Because I'm the leader, and you two have to obey me!"

Boomer looked at Brick. Brick was beginning to regret his decision. 'I should have chosen Boomer.'

"Okay, I'll accept it, but I don't agree with it, and I don't like it! You'll drag us to disaster. But since you're the leader and that is your decision, then I'll accept it. But I'm holding you responsible for anything bad that happens, and don't blame us when all goes wrong!" Brick said.

"I don't care, just do as I say. And Brick, tomorrow, go and tell your girlfriend, Blossom, that your precious Alliance is dissolved," Butch ordered.

"She's not my girlfriend, dammit! She's icky, and has cooties, and I don't like her! But okay, I'll tell her. But could you at least delay your order until the day after tomorrow? I want to smooth things over first," asked Brick.

"Okay then," Butch said. "And put it in paper to make it official! I want to sign something!"

"Yes Butch," Brick said.

"I think it's time to hit the sack!" Butch said, yawning. "See you two tomorrow!"

Butch then went to bed, leaving the dazed Boomer and the angry Brick.

"That Butch has gone crazy! Take back the leadership, Brick. He's offering it, why not take it and stop this madness!" Boomer pleaded.

"No I can't. The only thing that could make me take it back is if Dad is alive and tells me that I'm not a failure and still deserves to be leader, but that won't happen anytime soon because he's dead because of me. I just hope that Butch knows what he's doing, because if I'm not mistaken, he's leading us to a catastrophe," Brick solemnly said.

"But what about us now that Dad is gone," asked his blond brother.

"That is for Butch to decide," Brick said, then without saying another word to Boomer, went to the computer to type the document dissolving the alliance.


	15. Where Does the Buck Stop?

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 15 - Where Does the Buck Stop?**

The City of Townsville…

It was September 14, two days after the disappearance of Dr. Edwards.

Butch was playing some video games to try to drown out the sadness he felt for his Dad's death.

"Hey Butch, how's it going? Give him a punch, no kick him, yeah!" Brick shouted as he approached the new leader.

"Whoopee! I won! Yeah!" Butch shouted, then went for another game.

"Congratulations Butch! You really kicked his ass!" Brick cheered. "I have made the documents ending our alliance with the girls, and all it needs is your signature for it to be effective!"

"Read it to me," Butch said.

"Well, it's too long, but I'll read this part to you. I, Wilbur Butch Edwards, do hereby proclaim the dissolution of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, and sever any formal connection with Blossom Utonium, Bubbles Utonium, and Buttercup Utonium, effective a day after the this document is signed."

"And here's a pen, here read it!" Brick said. "As a leader, you shouldn't sign anything without reading it!"

Butch grabbed the papers. It is about four pages. The letters were small, printed in about 8 font, and composed of eight paragraphs. Butch just skimmed it and signed it at the end. "What the hell did you write and how the hell were you able to type something so long?"

"You know I'm a fast typist ever since Dad taught me to use the computer. Oh here's two more documents for you to sign," Brick said. He then gave the two documents each about three pages long to Butch. The font is eight, and written in legalistic, scientific language that made Butch's head hurt. "What's in here?"

"Well, you know, this and that and all those things. I think you should read it, and sign it too," Brick asked.

"I'll read it later," Butch said, resuming his game.

"No, it's very important for you to sign it! Read it first and sign it!" Brick asked.

"Okay," Butch said, grabbing the papers and pretended to read it, but he really didn't really read it.

"Get me a pen," Butch asked.

"You've finished reading it?" Brick asked.

"Each and every word," Butch lied, "now give me a pen, I've got to get back at my game!"

"Okay," Brick said, and he gave the pen to Butch. Butch then signed it and gave it to a grinning Brick.

"There. Now go and smooth out things or whatever you said you're going to do with the girls yesterday," Butch ordered.

"Are you sure you really want to dissolve the alliance, Butch?" asked Brick.

"We've already discussed this yesterday and my answer is still the same," Butch said. "And you can't do anything about it unless you want to be the leader again!"

"How about giving the position to Boomer?" said Brick.

"Don't make me laugh. And I changed my mind. I withdraw my offer to give you back the leadership. You'll just give it to Boomer and resign again."

"Okay, have it your way," Brick said as he hid the signed documents and called the Utonium House.

"Hello?" Blossom said.

"This is Brick. I have something important to tell you. Go to the edge of the lake and we'll talk," he said and hanged up.

He then went to the edge of the lake, thinking. A few minutes later, Blossom arrived.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," Blossom greeted. "Now, have you reconsidered your decision to resign?"

"No," he glibly said. "But I want to tell you something. Tomorrow, the alliance is gone. Butch's first order is to dissolve it. Just wanted you to know that you'll again be a leader of only two people."

Blossom was flabbergasted by what she heard. "You're kidding!"

"Ask Butch to see if I am kidding!"

"He's crazy, he'll destroy all that we've worked for! He's not fit to be your leader!" Blossom protested.

"Don't badmouth my brother. Butch is a brave soul. He thinks he knows what's good for us, and he's not crazy! And I think he's fit to be the leader," Brick defended.

"But he'll destroy the alliance!"

"And if he wants to, then fine! He's the leader, and what he says go. Boomer and I just follow," Brick asserted.

"But you know that we'll be sitting ducks to our enemies if we split it up now. You know we would have long been killed by whoever is trying to kill us if we didn't fight together!" Blossom replied.

"Well, I'm not the leader, and Butch is, because no matter how much you plead to me, it won't change Butch's mind. Talk to him," Brick asserted. "As for me, I will just follow whatever our new leader wants."

"Then why are you telling me this? Isn't Butch the leader suppose to announce it?" Blossom asked.

"He ordered me to tell you," Brick said. "Butch is really turning out to be great leader, even better than me, don't you think? I'm right in choosing him to succeed me!"

"How could you say this? The making and maintaining of this alliance is one of your best accomplishments! Without you, this alliance is toast!" Blossom reasoned.

"True, but I was leader back then, and now that Butch is leader, I guess you're right, the alliance is toast!"

"So take back the leadership! You alone among your brothers have both the common sense and the will to impose your vision! You have proven that you're a real leader, but you're throwing it away! You've got nothing to feel guilty about! Look, you've regained your confidence, so why not take back the leadership? It's not your fault Dr. Edwards is dead! And we need you in times such as these!"

"How could I be the leader again if I know that because of me, Boomer and Butch lost their father? How could I be the leader again if know that because of me, our source of security and happiness was dead? How could I be the leader again if I know that because of me, our future is now very gloomy. How could I be the leader again if I know that because of me, our anchor, our role-model, our source of strength is dead? No, because of me, my brothers and I are back at square one, and because of that, I don't deserve to be the leader ever again, even if as you said, I am the most fit to be," Brick emotionally said.

"Is there anything I could do or say to make you take back leadership back?" asked Blossom.

"If Dad called me and say that it's not my fault and should be the leader again, then I'll gladly be the leader again. But he's dead because of me, and that would never happen."

After that, Brick flew off and went to his friends' house.

* * *

A few hours later…

Boomer was practicing on the keyboard, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Get it," Butch shouted.

"Okay!" Boomer said. It was Brick, along with their new friends, Mike and Mitch.

"Hi Mike, hi Mitch? What are you guys doing here?"

"We heard what happened to your Dad," Mitch explained. "I'm very sorry!"

"It's okay," Boomer said.

"Well, let's go see Butch," Brick suggested. The other three agreed and they went the Butch's room, reading some comic books.

"Mitch, Mike, I want you to meet the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, Wilbur Butch Edwards," Brick introduced.

"What? I thought you're the leader?" asked a surprised Mike.

"I resigned and gave the position to Butch", Brick glibly exclaimed, "because he is the most fit to be the next leader, aren't you Butch?"

"Yep! I am!" Butch said with pride.

"Butch, I am sure, is a very competent boy. He's an excellent leader so far. Indeed, he didn't do anything that would make him stupid as a leader. Isn't that right, Butch?" said Brick.

"Wow, you really admire Butch, Brick," Mike said.

"Yeah, I knew Butch was cool but I never thought he was that cool!" Mitch added.

"Well, how could I not admire Butch? He's the paragon of leadership. He's the very image of a great leader! He's cool. He's brave, and he is a very wise decision maker! He's no fool! Unlike others, he won't do stupid things!"

Butch was beaming with pride as Brick gave more extravagant praises, while Boomer was confused.

"He won't do stupid things, like sign something before reading it, isn't that right Butch?"

"Of course, a leader who signed something he didn't read is not fit to be the leader!" Butch concurred.

"And don't you agree that there is no excuse if a leader would sign something without reading it and it turned out that it's something that he doesn't want?"

"Yeah! If that happened, then either he should quit, or he should do whatever was written in what he signed!" Butch affirmed.

"Don't you agree, Boomer, Mike, Mike?" Brick asked.

"Well, yeah, you should always read it before you sign it," Mike said.

"Yeah, anybody who does that is an idiot!" Mitch affirmed.

"And whoever did that would be more stupid than a retard," Boomer added.

"And as leader, I won't do anything so stupid!" Butch asserted.

"I know, so far, your decisions are good. And what the…he, he," he then picked up a tape recorder from his pocket. "Looks like I accidentally pressed the record button on this tape recorder in my pocket." He then laughed. "Well, let's see what I recorded by accident." It recorded the entire conversation from the time Brick introduced Butch as the new leader.

After listening to the tape, Brick put it back in his pocket. "Now, where are we? Oh yes, Butch, you're such a great leader, that I regret your decision to resign as leader and hand it over to Boomer. He then took unrolled a four pieces of paper and showed it to a shocked Mike, Boomer and Mitch. It was one of the documents signed by Butch that morning. "Here is his resignation letter, just signed this morning and entrusted to me by Butch so I can announce it to you." At the bottom of the last page of the letter, was Butch's own signature. Brick then took the paper. "Here are some parts of it. It says: "because, I, the ever so humble Wilbur Butch Edwards, do not feel I am worthy enough of the office of leader of the Rowdyruff Boys. Being a leader is such a great honor, that I see that for the good of the team, I must resign the leadership. Therefore, effective five hours after I sign this document, I will no longer be the leader. I appoint my brother, James Boomer Edwards, a boy whom I feel would do a much better job than me, as the new leader of the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Wow! You even put it in paper," Mike said.

Butch was in a dilemma that was partly his own doing. 'If I only had read that damned thing! Damn, that Brick is smart. If I said he tricked me, then I'd be the laughing stock of my brothers and Mike and Mitch, and probably the entire school. I can't deny this! Yet if I accept it, Boomer will be the leader, and I won't be able to dissolve the alliance. On the other hand, my reputation will only go up if I accept it. Oh well!'

* * *

After several seconds…

"Yeah, I think Boomer would be a better leader than me," Butch finally said, capitulating to fate.

"Wow Butch, you're really cool! Nobody would have the guts to admit that, but you're man enough to do it!" Mike complemented. "Though I think you'll be great as a leader."

"Yeah, yeah," Butch merely said, peeved at his brother but angry with himself. He had fallen to Brick's trap, and he wasn't even aware of it until he sprung it. 'I am such an idiot!' Butch thought. He could have been leader until he wanted too, but he blew it.

"Yeah, you're cool in my book!" Mitch complemented.

Boomer was shocked to say the least. 'That's the last time I underestimate Brick! Even when he's not leader, he still gets his way. And now I am the leader. I think I better listen to what Brick says next time.'

Butch kept control of himself to avoid embarrassing himself to their new friends, while Boomer was still getting over the fact that he is now the leader.

They spent the rest of the afternoon giving Mike and Mitch a tour of the forest.

* * *

A few hours later…

"That was pretty sneaky of you, Brick," Butch said as soon as the two brothers were alone. "But why the hell did you do all those praises! Mike and Mitch might have been deceived, but why? You obviously didn't mean them."

"But I do mean them. What would you have me do? Humiliate you before Mike and Mitch and pretty much everybody? No, I don't want to do that. They think you're great because of what happened this afternoon, and your reputation increased in their eyes. You're my brother, and no matter what you do, I'll always defend you and praise you before others, and I'll always be sincere in telling them that my brothers and Dad are the greatest, even if I don't like what they're doing," Brick explained. "And you really are brave, and decisive, and I really admire you. We must stick together, Butch, and I'm very sorry if I did it this way. But where you're leading us will lead to disaster, and I can't take it sitting down! Sorry Butch. But you really have should have read it before signing it instead of playing those video games."

"Yeah, I was pretty stupid to have fallen for that!" Butch said. "In fact, I'm angrier at myself than at you for falling for such a stupid trick. It was so obvious, that I didn't see it. But why not just be the leader again?"

"Because I can't. My conscience and guilt won't let me be, even if I wanted to. Dad is dead because of me, and I'll only take back the leadership if Dad is alive," Brick said.

"Well, I'll admit, I found out today I'm not really ready to be the leader," Butch admitted. "If I am, then I wouldn't have fallen for that trick. Reminds me when Blossom tricked me into accepting the fight. I'm not angry with you now, Brick, but next time, do your tricks towards others instead of towards your brothers. But, even if you acted like a son of a bitch, thanks for the praises. To tell you the truth, you were a great actor and would have fooled me if I didn't know better."

"Think nothing of it!" Brick replied. "In fact, remember those comics that you want to borrow from me? Well, it yours. And I'll even give you some of my pogs, and some of the tapes on Dragonball Z to boot! Yes, especially the episodes you missed! It's all yours. Plus, remember the money you owe me? Well, you won't have to pay for it. I'm writing it off!"

Butch just couldn't believe his ears. After tricking him out of his leadership, Brick is offering him some of this. "Really?"

"Of course," Brick said. "I'm feeling mighty generous today. Now, what do you say about that! Are you still angry with me?"

"Well, I'll tell you this, you're a tactful, diplomatic bastard. How can I stay angry with you?"

"Glad you like it. Next time, I'll tell them that you're favorite dish is cucumber!"

"Yuck! And I'll tell others that you like to eat liver!"

"Then I'll tell them that you like to eat uncooked meat!"

"Well I'll tell them you like to rip off the limbs of live animals and eat it that way!"

The two six-year-old brothers collapsed in laughter, forgetting the earlier incident. With great tact, Brick transferred the leadership from Butch to Boomer without backing down to Butch, and he did it in such a way that it was easy to repair any damage that his move made.

"Well, you won. Now what? You'll gonna tell Boomer to cancel my dissolution of the alliance?"

"Well, yeah," Brick said. "But I won't tell him. Oh no, I'll only advise him, and it's up to him whether or not to follow my recommendations. He is the leader, after all."

* * *

A few minutes later, Boomer arrived after he saw his two friends off. He was pleasantly surprised that Butch and Brick made up this fast. In fact, he suspected that Butch would be very angry with Brick. He was, but it was diffused by Brick's seemingly sincere commendations to his brother, and his realization that he should have read the document containing his resignation before signing it, made patching the relationship easier. Plus the fact that Brick didn't mock Butch in front of anybody, or one on one, helped too.

"Wow! You two already made up! I would've thought that you would pout at Brick for the weeks!" Boomer said.

"Well, you know, we're brothers. And I have forgiven Brick here," Butch said.

"Don't worry, nobody else would find out what really happened!" Brick assured.

"Yeah, it's only between us!" Boomer said.

"Okay, then what would we do now?" asked Butch.

"Well, um, uh, I think I should resume the alliance," Boomer said.

"You can't!" Butch said.

"He's the leader, he can do whatever he wants, right Butch?"

Butch grumbled, "Yeah, I think so. Do whatever you want."

"Well, um, Brick, uh tell the girls that I am now the leader," Boomer said

"Okay," Brick said, taking the phone. He was pleased with himself. He got his way without making Butch too upset about it and he made Boomer the leader. The only thing that prevented the good mood from returning is the fact that they thought that their father was gone.

He dialled the phone and called the girls.

"Hello," Blossom answered.

"Just wanted to tell you. Butch resigned and gave the leadership to Boomer, and Boomer's first order is that the alliance is no longer dissolved. Bye!"

"What the?" Blossom said. "Wait, what happened?"

"Well, Butch thought that he's not worthy to be the leader, and thought that Boomer would be better, so he resigned and gave it to Boomer. Boomer's first order then is to cancel the order dissolving the alliance," Brick explained.

"What? I'm confused," Blossom said.

"You are? Well good! The more confused you are, the better!"

"Wait, um, could you tell Boomer that I want us to meet tomorrow? I have a plan, and I want to discuss it with you guys," Blossom said.

"Well, I'd ask Boomer first. He is the leader, you know," said Brick.

"Well, thanks," Blossom.

Brick then hang-up the phone.

"Well, Blossom said that she wanted to meet with you to plan something," Brick said.

"Should I meet with her?" asked Boomer.

"Why ask us? You're the leader! You decide!" Brick said.

"Well, uh well, I don't know. If you're the leader, what would you do?" Boomer said.

"Well, don't meet with her," Butch said. "You know you can't stand her!"

"Well, meet with her. She is the leader of the alliance, after all, and I think we should work with them," Brick advised.

"Well, um, ah, er, ah, I'm confused. Yeah, I can't stand her, but Brick's got a point, um, so I think I should go!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Doctor, Professor, follow me," Ckracknow said to the two scientists. He led them to a lab. There were large computers, a table full of papers, another table full of beakers, test tubes, spatulas, and other laboratory equipment. On a cabinet with a glass cover, there were containers with various chemicals in it. The adjacent room was full of electronic equipment.

"This, my captives, is part of my lab. All of the data I have researched on the monsters I took is in here. I am sure that you will find those data most useful in your endeavors. I am sure you all have sharp enough memories so you can replicate your experiments here. If you need any help, just contact me and I will be happy to help."

"So, where do you keep the data?" William asked.

"Oh, it's over there," Ckracknow said, pointing to a blackboard full of formulas, "and over there," pointing to a four notebooks, "and lastly there," finally pointing to the computers.

"Any other questions?" the mad scientist asked.

"Not at the moment," John curtly answered.

"Good. You start today," Ckracknow ordered.

"Hey, but you said we can have this day off!" Dr. William Edwards protested.

"Yeah! It's unfair!" Professor John Utonium added.

"Oh don't act like 6-year-olds. I changed my mind, and there's nothing you can do about it," Ckracknow answered.

"Couldn't you at least give us access on your monsters, so we could personally look at it?"

"Oh very well!" Ckracknow said. "You'll personally see it in four days! Now go to work."

Ckracknow and his guards then left, leaving the two scientists alone in the laboratory. William then immediately went to the blackboard and examined the mathematical and chemical equations, while John scanned the notebooks.

"Ah, John, I think these formulas are the key!" William exclaimed when he was sure they were out of earshot.

"The key to what?" said John as he scanned the notes.

"Well, I told you I can't crack the contents of the monster hide back home, well, this data is just what I needed. May I see those notes? Thank you," the doctor then scanned the notes. "Eureka! These notes fill in the blanks of my own research! Ha, now it's possible to discover the secrets of the hide. Imagine the billions I will make!"

"But Ckracknow will find out, and I don't want to know what he'll do with it. I mean he makes mutated monsters to try and kill our kids for crying out loud! We only agreed to pretend to find that formula while we looked at his data!"

"But when we find out the formula, we won't tell him. Look, we might as well get all that we can take while we're here, and we won't give to Mr. Cracker anything we find!" William said.

"Yeah, but we still haven't figured how to get out of here," John said.

"Not to worry, my boy! I have already figured that one out! You see, all I have to do is contact my boys and they will come on here, beat the living daylights out of Mr. Cracker or whatever his name is, and we can get out of this sh!thole with all the information Crack researched," William said.

"But how are we going to contact the boys or my girls?" asked John. "There isn't any goddamned phone in this godforsaken place, William, and I doubt Ckracknow will just lend us a cellular phone so we can just call home and tell our kids to come rescue us? I mean part of his set-up is letting our kids think we're dead!"

"Oh ye of little faith, John, look!" William Edwards then pointed to his watch. "Tada! My communicator watch! This baby can contact any of my boys' watches, anytime, anywhere on this planet. Ain't I great?"

"Theatrical as always, even in danger, eh William?" John commented. "Well, call them and let them know we're still alive."

"Okay!" William said as he pressed a button. He then tried calling the boys. Nothing.

"Damn it! This place must be jamming the frequency!" William said, completely losing his temper. "Why I'm going to go to Cackcow or whatever his name is and I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Whoa! Stop it! You're not making any sense!" John said, shaking his colleague. "Don't lose your temper or you might ruin it! Just think of some way to contact the boys!"

"Yeah, you're right. I won't give Clacko the satisfaction of getting to me," William said. "Now, let's see. Ah, maybe we can hack his system and disable the jamming device or at least alter the frequency!"

"That's a good idea!" John said as William went to the computer and started the process.

* * *

It was September 15…

Boomer, Brick and Butch went to the Utonium house to go to the meeting Blossom had called the day before.

"Glad you three could come, especially, you Brick, and Boomer, the new leader of the Rowdyruffs," Blossom greeted in a formal manner. "Come on in."

Boomer said nothing, but glared at the pink puff, while Butch scowled, showing his dislike of the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance and the Powerpuff Girls. Brick just smirked, wondering how this meeting would end.

Blossom led them to the kitchen were Bubbles and Buttercup were sitting, with an empty chair between them, obviously reserved for Blossom. Opposite them are three empty chairs, while there was a white board on the head of the table, and an overhead projector in the other end. The boys took their seats, with Boomer sitting in the middle and his brothers seating either side of him. Bubbles winked at Boomer but Boomer was too busy thinking to notice her.

"Okay, I, the great and awesome Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, called this meeting to plan what we would do for the next few days. As you all know, a lot of things happened in the past few days. For example, monsters of enormous strength repeatedly attacked us, and if it wasn't for our skill, determination, cooperation, and pure luck, we would have been killed. And Bubbles here observed that those monster aren't like the one we regularly fought, are they Bubbles?"

"Well Blossom, we all know that those monsters are usually friendly," Bubbles said. "And they only fight to hold their own against us and they become heroes if they did. But I tried talking to one of the monsters, and they seemed, what's the word I was looking for? They were mindless beings!"

"Which means someone is controlling them!" Boomer said.

"Right! Now, the other thing we got to worry about is the death of Dr. Edwards, your father, and the disappearance of our Professor Utonium," Blossom continued. "It started with a series of attacks on the doctor by thieves with only white in their eyes and culminated when they gunned down your father in the car when we were busy somewhere else."

"Tell us something we don't know!" Brick said, yawning, or at least pretending to yawn.

"We're getting to that!" Blossom said. "I'm just summarizing the whole incidents so that anybody who might have forgotten might have their memories refreshed!"

"This isn't really necessary," Brick said. "I'm sure all of us knows exactly what had already happened. Just tell us what you plan to have us do!"

"If you'll just be patient," said Blossom, irritated by Brick's interruption. "And next time you boys want to tell me something, your leader Boomer should tell me, since he represents you boys. And Butch, Brick, you keep quiet unless I ask you something. Only Boomer can interrupt me to object or ask questions!"

Butch and Brick were angry, but Brick checked his anger and whispered something to Butch. Butch, who was ready to blow up at Blossom's arrogance, calmed down, though he was still angry at Blossom.

"Now, these two separate incidents, though they may have occurred at the same time, are mere coincidence! They have nothing to do with each other," Blossom asserted.

"But it's too much of a coincidence! I think they are connected!" Boomer said.

"Well, they're not!" Blossom defended. "Look, I have been a superhero far longer than you three have been alive. I don't know what exactly happened to the monsters, but I know that nobody else knows that they are intelligent. And how could anybody brainwash a monster? No, whoever killed Dr. Edwards is not capable of controlling and sending the monsters."

"Well, that makes sense," Boomer said.

Brick, however tugged his shirt.

"What?"

"No it doesn't," Brick whispered in Boomer's ear. "Tell her that someone knows about those monsters, and that it was the same person who sent those thieves and those monsters. Tell her that those thieves are not ordinary humans with those white eyes and the absence of fingerprints, and couple that with the fact that they have numbers as names. They were genetically altered, just like those monsters. Plus the fact that he wanted the monster hide indicates that he wanted to make the monsters stronger."

"Um, okay," said a puzzled Boomer. "Um, I don't think so because, uh, the thieves and the monsters were sent by the same person."

"And your proof is?" asked a skeptical Blossom.

"Well, um, uh, Brick said that um, well, uh, Brick, what is it again that you said?"

Brick slapped his head in frustration and Blossom snickered. He took the ear of his leader and whispered.

"You're the leader, and you shouldn't do these things! Show that you're confident, smart and tough. Even if you don't know what to say, always keep a brave front. And never do that again. It's embarrassing for us! Now, what I said is that the monsters and the thieves were genetically altered. You are a science buff, you should know that! And since they want the monster hide, it's all connected."

"Um, okay," said Boomer, who then faced Blossom. "I think that, ah, what's it again, oh yes, ah, eh, er, I think, um, 'cause, you know, that ah, well the thieves and the monsters were both, now what was the word again, am, changed, or something, oh yes, genetically mutated monsters, and mutant turtles, no I mean mutant thieves, and since they are after Dad's hide, then it indicates that they are connected because, well, um, er," Boomer stuttered, as the arguments were lost on him. "I'll consult further with my brothers."

"Brick, why is it again that because the thieves were after the hide that they and the monster are connected?" asked Boomer.

By this time, Blossom was getting frustrated with Boomer. Sure, she enjoyed Boomer's difficulty at first, but it soon because unbearable, especially compared to Brick's clear, logical arguments. And the meeting was going nowhere. 'Boomer has no confidence in what he's saying, and he can't make a coherent argument. I wish Brick is still the leader. His insults are preferable to Boomer's incoherence. At least Brick and I can accomplish something.'

"Because, since whoever wanted the monster hide wanted to make the monsters he kidnapped more invincible so they could easily kill us!" Brick said, nearly shouting in Boomer's ear. "The motives of the thieves in wanting the monster hide is that they wanted to make the mutant monsters even stronger!"

"Okay, ah, well, er, eh, anyway, um, so, I think the thieves were connected to the monster, because, ah, what is it again, oh yes, are, well, they wanted the monster hide because they wanted the monster to be invincible, yeah that's it, at least that's what Brick, I mean what I think, er, so there! Whew!" Boomer explained, still stuttering, the power of his argument lost in his inept delivery.

Blossom was staring disbelievingly at Boomer. 'What made Brick choose Boomer?' she thought. "I still don't get you. Well, since you can't give any coherent reasons why the thieves were connected to the monsters, we will assume that the monster and the thieves have nothing to do with each other."

"Wait," Brick said, "what Boomer meant was…"

"Sorry, as I earlier said, only Boomer as your leader can speak freely to me. You on the other hand will speak only if spoken to," Blossom said.

Brick was enraged, but he was more disappointed with Boomer. 'What was I thinking when I chose him? Well, at least he didn't end the alliance.' He again slapped his forehead, regretting his decision, but still determined to make a leader out of Boomer.

Before Blossom could proceed further, they saw the Powerpuff signal in the sky. "Looks like trouble!" Bubbles said, then woke Buttercup who had fallen asleep in the meeting.

"Boomer, I hope you are a better battle commander than you are a negotiator," said Blossom. "Okay, let's go!"

The six kids then raced towards the city, where another monster was attacking the city.

"Not again!" Buttercup remarked. "Not another super monster!"

"Okay," Blossom said. "Girls, we'll go and try to slow it down at front. Boomer, you and your brothers go at the back and create a distraction. At the right time, just before the monster plunges into the business district, order one of your brothers to create a barrier of wrecked buildings in front of him to slow it down. Remember, it must be made at just the right time, or the monster might change directions. I will engage him frontally, while my sisters will evacuate the people. Got that?"

Boomer just nodded.

Blossom then attacked the monster, dodging its swipes, but unable to stop its advance.

"Okay, um, Butch, you go and collect some materials for the barrier. Brick, you and I will attack the monster at the back."

Butch then went and obeyed his brother, while Boomer and Brick went to attack the rear of the monster. The monster's hide was so tough however, so their attacks didn't even annoy the monster.

A few minutes later, Butch gathered enough materials to block the monster—chiefly from the skyscrapers the monster earlier wrecked.

"Hey Boomer, shall I put the barrier now?" Butch asked.

"Sure, why not?" said Boomer, and Butch put the barrier between two huge skyscrapers, blocking the path of the monster. The monster then turned and went to the government district instead.

"Boomer, you fool!" Blossom shouted. "You put it too soon! Now we can't finish it off while it is struggling in the barrier!"

"I did?" Boomer asked. "Brick, remove the barrier!"

Brick did as ordered.

The monster, upon seeing the barrier removed, quickly changed its directions and entered the business district.

Blossom was again frustrated. "You fool! Why did you remove it? Now the monster entered the business district! Even if you put it too soon, you could have at least left it so he could be diverted!"

By this time, Buttercup and Bubbles had finished evacuating the people and joined their sister. Blossom had completely lost confidence at Boomer. "Okay, we'll attack…"

However, the monster, after destroying the business district, turned around and ran towards the sea and left.

The six kids were stunned. "What just happened?" asked Brick.

"I have no idea! Lucky for us though. If the monster stayed put, we wouldn't be able to defeat it, unless of course we stuck it in the barrier, where I have a plan to defeat it, but one of us obviously fouled up!" an angry Blossom said, glaring at Boomer.

Boomer fought bravely in battle. But he lack tactical and strategic sense, and he made very obvious mistakes that Brick or Blossom would not ordinarily make. Plus, he showed great indecision that frustrated both Brick and Blossom.

"Aw, give him a break, Blossom," Bubbles said. "It was only his first time as leader, and I'm sure he'll do fine next time. And besides, all wells that ends well!"

"Why? You, Boomer, are incompetent!" she shouted at Boomer's face. "Where the heck is your common sense? You made a blunder that a three year old could never do, and you have no leadership or tactical skills whatsoever! "

"Don't shout at my brother!" Brick sharply replied, defending his brother. "My brother is very competent, and he was great out there. He did his best, and I'm sure he is just hiding his talents!"

"If he has hidden talents on tactics and such, he should have shown it! But instead, he showed how incompetent he really is!"

"He's not incompetent. He was very brave, and he acquitted himself rather well!" Brick defended.

"He is brave, and is loyal, but is not fit for leadership! He is better as a loyal follower than a leader!" Blossom shouted back.

Boomer, who listened to all this, was galled beyond endurance. "Oh shut up, Blossom! I don't know how Brick could take your crap, but I sure can't! What if you're in my situation? I'm sure you would have reacted the same way! And I certainly don't like you as leader of this alliance! I'll tell you the truth. If we didn't need to work together, I would have ended this alliance the moment I became the leader because I can't stand being under you for one second longer!"

After that, Boomer and his brothers left the field in a huff, and went home.

"Blossom, that was mean!" Bubbles said, scolding her sister.

"Hate to agree with Bubbles, but you shouldn't have shouted at Boomer," Buttercup said.

"I know, but I need to talk some sense into Boomer and Brick. It's mean, but it's also true. I'll tell you the truth. We need to work together if we are to defeat whoever is behind this, and we can't work together if Brick isn't the leader," Blossom said. "I regret if I acted over the top, but what has to be done has to be done." 'And I need to show to Brick that only he can lead his team efficiently. Brick, snap out of it and become the leader again!'

* * *

Later…

"Brick, though I appreciate choosing me as leader, I beg you, please take the leadership again. I don't like being the leader! I'd thought it'd be fun but I realize you have to make the hard decisions, and it isn't it's all it's cooked up to be. I'm not smart enough to be one, and I'll embarrass myself further! Sorry, but I can't continue as the leader. I'm proud of being your leader, but I know my limitations," Boomer said, his confidence at himself at a low after the recent events. "You're a better leader than I am, Brick."

"Yeah Brick, be a man and take back the position!" Butch urged. "Take charge again! Boomer and I are once again ready to follow you. Even if you acted like a jerk yesterday when you tricked me, I'll admit, you're still a better leader than either of us!"

"Thanks guys! But I can't. Dad is dead because of me, and I can never be the leader again knowing that!"

"Cut the bullsh!t, Brick," Butch said. "Cut the crap and be the leader again!"

"Look, unless I hear Dad's voice again, I won't resume the leadership! And it won't happen because he is dead because of me!" Brick then stopped. He was lost for words. He didn't know what to say.

When suddenly…

"Boomer, Brick, Butch, it's Dad!" Dr. Edwards's voice suddenly was heard in the communicator watch.


	16. Instructions

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 16**

**Instructions**

The City of Townsville…

"Dad, you're alive!" shouted Brick in disbelief.

"Of course! What, did you think I'm dead?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Well, because we saw you car riddled with bullets, and there was blood…" Butch began.

"Oh it's just a set-up made to make you think we're dead," Dr. Edwards said, "and by the looks of it, it worked."

"Yeah, Dad, we really thought you were dead!" Boomer said. "But you're alive!"

Boomer then went and danced in circles, chanting and shouting, "Dad's alive! Dad's alive! Yipee! Yahoo! He's alive!"

Butch punched the air with his fist, tripped Boomer, and jumped. "You're alive! This is so great!"

"Dad, you're alive. I can't believe it! All these days and we thought you were dead!" Brick said.

"Well, I'm alive and kicking," the doctor replied.

"Well, where are you?" asked Butch.

"I'm still at the place were my abductors…"

"You were kidnapped?" asked Boomer.

"Yes, I was," Dr. Edwards explained.

"What happened?" asked Brick.

"I'll explain it to you later, but right now, listen to me…"

"But where are you?" asked Boomer.

"I'll tell you eventually. I'm okay. But get this. The professor will contact the girls with this watch too, and he'll instruct the Powerpuff Girls to go to the house."

"The Powerpuff Girls? Why would they come here?" asked Butch.

"Well, let's just say that all of you, yes including the girls, need to hear our instructions, and we don't like to repeat it twice!"

"We? Who's we?" asked Brick

"Professor Utonium. Both of us were kidnapped at the same time. Now, in an hour or two, the girls will come over there. The Professor and I will tell you the exact situation that we are all in and the instructions of what you should do."

"Is it really that bad Dad? I mean can't we just find you and beat the living stuffing out of whoever did this to you?" asked Brick.

"All in due time, son. Now, I have only one watch with me and the Professor has got to talk to his girls. You want to say something to me before I leave?"

"Well, we thought that you were dead and Brick resigned as leader because he thought it was his fault and appointed Butch next leader instead but Butch decided to end the Ruff-Puff alliance with the girls but Brick doesn't want that so he tricked Butch into resigning and made me leader instead but Blossom yelled at me when she thought I messed up so I think Brick should be leader again but he said he won't be leader again unless he hears your voice again because he blames himself for your death but now we know you're alive and we now could return to normal so there and um, could you tell Brick to be the leader again?" Boomer said in one sentence without catching his breathe, talking very fast. "Whew, that was long!"

"Boomer!" Brick irritatingly said to his brother.

"Sorry Brick, but it had to be said," Boomer said. "You're the only one who could effectively lead the Rowdyruffs."

"Whoa! Slow down," Dr. Edwards said. "So Brick was feeling guilty because of what happened and he resigned as leader and he appointed Butch in his stead. But things didn't go too well, and somehow Boomer became leader, but you didn't do too well, so you want Brick to be leader again, but he just doesn't want to because he thinks he's responsible for my death?"

"Yeah, that's about it!" Butch said.

"Brick!"

"Yes Dad," he said.

"I'm very disappointed in you," Dr. Edwards sternly rebuked. "You should be leading and inspiring your brothers, instead of wallowing in self-pity the way you have been doing. Why resign?"

"Because I thought you were dead. Me and my brothers have a responsibility to protect you, and we have failed. I was the leader, and I failed you terribly Dad! I mean, how could you be proud of me? I failed to protect you, and even if you were not dead, I still let you be kidnapped. I don't think after all that, I deserve to be the leader!"

"Brick, snap out of it! I am very proud of how you conducted yourself, but not on how you acted recently. Look, it's not your fault that I was kidnapped. I know you did your best. Now, tell me exactly how was it your fault that I was kidnapped?"

"Well Dad, I am leader, and I have to take responsibility to whatever bad happens to the group. If I don't take responsibility, then what kind of a leader would I be?" Brick said. "And if I fail in our most important duties to you Dad, it's my fault, whether it really is or not, because I am the leader, and I've got to take responsibility. To do otherwise is shameful. I must be accountable for my actions, and the only thing I could think of that is appropriate for the magnitude of my failure is to resign as leader. I'm very sorry Dad."

"Brick, that is very admirable of you," Dr. Edwards explained. "But you yourself gave more reason why you should be the leader,"

"Huh? But I just said that I don't deserve to the leader?" said Brick.

"That's it!" Dr. Edwards reassured. "You have almost every quality that a good leader has to have. Tell me, how many leaders would do as you did? You have a very admirable sense of responsibility, and you just don't blame your brothers for your mistakes. I am very proud of you son, but as you said, you must take responsibility. Tell me, you said that a leader should always take responsibility right?"

"Yes Dad," Brick said.

"Now, Butch, when you were leader, did you make any decisions that was opposed by Brick?"

"Well I tried, but when I did, he tricked me into resigning the leadership and giving it to Boomer," Butch said.

"And Boomer, when you were leader, did you do anything that Brick opposed?"

"Well no Dad. I know Brick knew better than me, so I kept asking for his advice, and I never did anything he disapproved," Boomer explained.

"Well, I rest my case. It's clear, Brick, that you have been exercising power without responsibility. You still wanted to control things, and have your way, even though you are no longer leader. The only difference is that you are no longer responsible for your actions, because you can claim that your brothers have the final say!"

Brick then realized that what his father said was true. He didn't think of it that way, but now, he did. He then realized he acted disgracefully by trying to get his way and control the group even though he designated others as leader. He unknowingly had violated his own principle, of being responsible for your actions.

"I'm sorry Dad," was all he can say.

"I'm very disappointed in you Brick," his father said. "But that is the past, I forgive you. But William Bricker Edwards, you must be the leader again because I know you are the best leader around."

"Better than Blossom?" asked Brick.

"Of course," Dr. Edwards unhesitatingly said. "Whatever happens, I'll always be proud of the three of you. But I've got go now, bye!"

Soon, they lost their connection to their father.

The boys looked at each other. Butch and Boomer were overjoyed expressions in their face, while Brick's expression was unreadable. It seemed that his father's reappearance shook him. An incredible burden was lifted from his shoulder when he learned he was not responsible for his father's death because he was still alive. That removed the principal reason why he wouldn't become leader again. But he was rebuked by his father because of his actions, so it wasn't all that good.

"Well guys, I'd like to say I'm sorry if I acted like a jerk this past few days," Brick sincerely said.

"No sweat, Brick," Boomer said. "You see, I knew you'd be the leader again!"

"I'd hate to say this, but at least you've trimmed down your ego a little," Butch added.

"Yeah, but before I become leader again, I want to make certain things clear. If I am leader, I want _absolute_ control over all things important to us. I will only consult you if I so wish, and you will always obey my orders. You can question my decisions, and you can say why I'm wrong, but if you can't convince me, then you will follow my orders no matter what. In short, I am the leader and you will do as I say! That is my terms if I am the leader again. I will only be responsible to Dad, and to some extent to Blossom as long as she is the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, and to no one else. Do you accept these terms? Please remember that accepting these terms would mean that you forever forfeit any meaningful part in making decisions."

Boomer and Butch looked at each other and to Brick.

"Well, we pretty much don't have any say before, so why not? Sure, I accept your conditions," Boomer said.

Butch glared at his arrogant brother, but Brick glared back. After a minute's hesitation, he finally accepted. "Why not! You pretty much don't listen to us before this, so it won't be any different. So yes, I accept!"

"Good! Boomer, technically, you are still the leader, so resign and appoint me as the new leader," Brick instructed.

"Okay. I resign as leader and choose Brick Edwards," Boomer said, happy that he no longer is the leader.

"Thanks!" Brick said, though he sounded arrogant. However his brothers are used to him, so it isn't a big deal.

"Now, what are your first orders?" asked Butch.

"We wait for the Powerpuff Girls and for Dad's next instructions," Brick authoritatively said. "In the meantime, I'm famished, let's eat!" Brick said. They ordered about 30 boxes of pizza and had dinner.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The girls were in their living room. Blossom was pacing back and forth, thinking. 'Where could the Professor be? He can't be dead! I just know he can't be dead. And how could I make Brick leader again?'

Bubbles was drawing some pictures. She tried having a cheerful disposition, though it was clear she was sad. Buttercup was watching TV.

"Girls, are you alright!" Professor Utonium suddenly said over the watch.

"Professor!" Blossom shouted.

"Professor!" Bubbles squealed. "You're alright!" She then jumped up in joy, nearly hitting her head in the ceiling in the process. Buttercup was just as happy, and she howled happily.

"Oh girls, you have no idea how I missed you all this time!" the Professor hysterically said. "I'm so happy to hear your voices again!"

"Oh Professor, how are you? Where are you now? Are you hurt? What happened? Did you know that me and my sisters love you very much and you're absolutely the best Dad one could ask for?" Bubbles asked excitedly.

"Well, I'm fine, I have no idea where I am now, perhaps William knows but who knows? No, I'm not physically hurt, and we were kidnapped," Professor Utonium explained.

"Ha! I told you Mojo was the one responsible!" Buttercup proclaimed.

"No he isn't!" the professor quickly rebutted. "And thanks Bubbles."

"Ha, I was right!" Blossom said, "As I always am!"

"Oh, how are you girls? How's it been going?"

"Well, aside from your disappearance, well, it's been fine," Blossom said, not mentioning what happened to the boys. "Anyway, don't worry, we'll find you Professor and bring to justice whoever did this!"

"Well, not now! Wait a couple of days," said the Professor.

"What do you mean? We miss you! We want to hug you and kiss you in the cheek and we want you to tell us bedtime stories and such!" Bubbles frowned.

"All in due time. Meanwhile, sacrifices have to be made for the good of Townsville," the Professor said. "I miss you terribly too, but just wait a little longer, and we can all be together again. Now, here are my instructions. Go and pack your things, call Miss Keane, and go to the house of Dr. Edwards."

"But why?" asked Blossom. "Aren't you going to tell us what's going on?"

"Of course. But I want the boys to know what I'm going to tell you, and I don't want to repeat myself. So just do it. Pack your things and for a few days of stay in their house. And call Miss Keane. Me and the doctor have something to say to her too," the Professor explained.

"What, we'll have to stay with those jerks?" Buttercup protested.

"I like staying over there," Bubbles said.

"But why?" asked Blossom.

"William and I will explain it all to you sometime tonight. Just be together and bring Miss Keane too, okay?"

"Okay Professor!"

"Well, I've got to go. But I miss you and I hope to see you again! Bye!"

And the connection went dead.

The girls looked at each other.

"Yipee! The Professor is okay!" Bubbles shouted, hugging both her sisters. "And Dr. Edwards is too."

"We're not out of the woods yet," Blossom said. "The Professor is still kidnapped, and we've got to rescue him too. Well anyway, let's just pack our things and go to the boys' house. At least now that Dr. Edwards is alive, Brick wouldn't be able to give that stupid excuse on why he can't be leader again."

"Why? You just want Brick to be the leader again so you can talk alone with him because you like him and he's your boyfriend."

"That is not true!" Blossom shouted, her face red. "Butch and Boomer were disasters as leaders, while Brick is at least competent! And Brick is a jerk! I wouldn't like him if he was the last boy on earth!"

"Sure you are, sure!" Buttercup teased.

"Wow, so you and Brick are a couple?" asked Bubbles.

"No, Bubbles, no. And Buttercup, you make a claim that has no basis whatsoever!" Blossom replied, Buttercup's teasing getting under her skin. "But anyway, you and Bubbles go and pack your clothes."

Buttercup laughed as she and Bubbles went upstairs. Blossom followed them.

* * *

A few hours later…

The boys were just finished eating the pizza and are drinking coke. Boomer and Butch were arguing about something, while Brick is just thinking.

Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring.

"It must be those sissies," Butch said. "I hope Dad makes it quick so they can leave. I can't stand them, especially that redheaded leader of theirs."

"I'll get it!" Brick said.

It was the girls and…

"Miss Keane?" said a surprised Brick. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, the Professor said that he wanted to tell me something tonight?" said the boys' Math teacher. "By the way boys, I'm glad that your Dad is okay."

"Well, yeah," Boomer simply said.

"Well, aren't you going to let us in?" asked Blossom.

"Well, if you give us A's in Math maybe we could?" Boomer suggested.

"Boys! I'm surprised at you! You know that you're smart enough that you'll get A's!" Miss Keane said. "So, have you eaten your dinner yet?"

"Yeah, we ordered and ate thirty boxes of pizza," Butch added.

"Um, do you have anything left?" asked Bubbles. "We haven't eaten yet."

"Actually, no," Boomer said.

"What's on your fridge?" asked Miss Keane.

"Well, some wine, milk, soda, and, water," Brick said.

"But where are your food?" asked Miss Keane.

"Well, we usually eat out or order pizza or something, and in the morning, Dad usually serves us some pork and beans or corned beef—usually canned goods. Except for grilling fish, he can't cook to save his life," Brick admitted.

Miss Keane then went and looked around. 'That William is going to get an earful from me when he returns. I mean it's just awful how he feeds his boys.' She then noticed the bareness of the room, and the lack of any decoration except pictures and diplomas hung in the walls. 'Typical of William, it's so bare and he doesn't have any taste in housekeeping.'

"Could I go to the kitchen boys?" asked Miss Keane. "I'll see if I can whip out something to eat."

"Sure Miss Keane," said Brick. "Now we wait for Dad's call."

* * *

A few minutes later, the call came…

"Brick, Boomer, it's Dad!" Dr. Edwards's voice was heard from Brick's watch.

"Dad!" Brick shouted.

"Are the girls there and Miss Keane too?" the Professor's voice suddenly said.

"Professor!" shouted Blossom. "Yup! We're all here!"

"Good," said the doctor. "Now, I'll first explain to you all that happened."

"First, you all know that in the past few days," Dr. Edwards started, "there have been very strange events happening. The appearance of super-powered monsters and the thieves who have only whites in their eyes and no fingerprints and their attempt to kill me and take the data from the monster hide. Well, the guy who sent those thieves changed his tactics and kidnapped me instead."

"But why the Professor too?" asked Blossom.

"It was a coincidence, really! I was with William when he was kidnapped. I guess I just went along for the ride," the Professor explained.

"Anyway, the guy who kidnapped us is Ferguson Clucwao, or something," Dr. Edwards said.

"It's Ckracknow, William!" John Utonium corrected.

"Yes. Cracker is a guy about 5'4", and blond hair," said Dr. Edwards, "and he is the one who wants to get the data on the monster hide."

"Anyway, it's Ckracknow, William," the Professor interrupted. "This guy is a mad scientist. He kidnaps and makes experiments on monsters for a living. The monsters attacking Towsville recently were all sent by Ckracknow!"

"I told you they were connected, but a certain redheaded leader-girl here said they have nothing to do with each other," Brick remarked.

"Oh shut up!" Blossom said. "Okay I was wrong, you don't have to rub it in!"

"As I was saying," Dr. Edwards continued, "Clockwork sent those monsters for the sole purpose of killing you, the Powerpuff Girls. He enhanced the strength of the monsters so that you would be no match against them. Fortunately, he hasn't anticipated the training you had that greatly increased your strength nor did he consider the re-emergence of the Rowdyruff Boys. Thus, instead of overwhelming advantage, it was only a tie."

"Ckracknow also pumped the car we were in full of lead so that it would look like that we were killed," the Professor said.

"Here are our instructions," Dr. Edwards said. "Listen good because I want you to follow it to the letter. First, Clacko wants us to give the data on the monster hide. Well, we decided to give it to him."

"What! But Dad…" Boomer protested.

"Let me correct that Boomer, I meant we would make him think that we would give it to him, when in fact, we would just leech off as much information on his own research as we could. So boys, we will stay here for at least five days, after that, we would give instructions on how you could find our location," Dr. Edwards said. "In the meantime, train yourself hard. Preferably until you reach level 15 or something. Today, you are at level 10, as I recall."

"Yes Dad, we're at level 10," said Butch.

"And if you don't know what level 10 means, girls," the Professor continued, "it is about equal hardcore x6. Both of you are about the same in power and strength. And please, do your best. You are facing an enemy like no other before. I'm sure he has a lot more monsters up his sleeve, and I'm willing to bet that they are a lot more powerful than the ones you fought before."

"So kids, don't you ever try to find us without at least reaching level 15. I know you all miss us, but please, sacrifice a bit. Trust me it'll be all worth it."

"And girls," said the Professor, "William and I decided that you would stay in that house during the five days. Have you packed your things like I asked you to?"

"Yes Professor," said Blossom.

"But Dad," protested Butch, "why the hell do they need to stay here? I don't like any of those sissies staying in the same house!"

"The feeling's mutual you know," Buttercup retorted.

"Well it has already been decided, so you just have to live with it," Dr. Edwards said. "The reason is that since both of you are parentless as of the moment, and we can only think of one babysitter, we decided that you should live under one roof. Besides, your training will be easier if you are together. And Miss Keane, could you take care of the kids while John and I are away? I promise I'll pay you $2000.00 or more if you want when this is all over."

"I wouldn't mind being babysitter, but no, I won't accept that money," Miss Keane said. "I'm doing it because I wanted to, not because I want to be paid."

"Well, would you at least receive money for the expenses incurred?"

"Okay, but only for the expenses. I want nothing else for me," Miss Keane stated.

"Okay," the doctor replied, pleased. "And boys, be nice to her or else!" He said it in a deadly and scary tone that would always make the boys shudder and make them more obedient.

"Yes Dad," the boys all said

"Well, we gotta go now," the doctor said. "Talk to you later."

And the connection went dead.

"Okay, we gotta plan this," Blossom said. "Boomer, I think we should…"

"Sorry Blossom, but I, Brick Edwards, am again the absolute leader of the Rowdyruff Boys!" Brick proclaimed with relish.

"Good, now I think we should take a look at that training facility of yours," Blossom proposed.

"Well, you girls will have to eat your dinner first," Miss Keane said. "After all, you can't train with an empty stomach. Come on boys, you've got to show me where you keep the food!"

So in the next hour or so, the girls and Miss Keane cooked dinner, mainly eggs and some tuna, while the boys just watched TV.

* * *

After that…

"I think we can now start our training," proposed Brick.

"Yeah, we've got to hurry," said Blossom. "We can't waste anymore time."

"Oh no you don't. It's late now, about nine. I think you should go to bed. You must get plenty of sleep if you want to be stronger," said Miss Keane. "Don't worry, I'll take care of the dishes."

"But Miss Keane!" protested Blossom and Brick.

"I said, go to bed!" said Miss Keane. "You can train all you want tomorrow."

"Yes Miss Keane," said both of the leaders.

So they brush their teeth and washed their faces and went to bed. The girls went to the room they slept in the first sleep-over, while the boys went to their own rooms.

Before they went to their respective rooms, Brick pulled Blossom aside. "Meet me at the front of the door of Dad's lab at ten."

"Okay," Blossom said.

* * *

One hour later, at ten…

Miss Keane was downstairs, cleaning the house, while upstairs, the kids, with the exception of Blossom and Brick, were asleep.

Blossom carefully rose from the bed and changed her clothes from the nightgown she was wearing to the dress she always wears. She fixed her hair, then put the bow on her head before heading out.

Brick was already waiting.

"What do you want?" asked Blossom.

"Simple. I'd like to give you a tour of the training facility we use," Brick said.

"Um, okay," said Blossom. "Thanks. But why?"

"I have my reasons," Brick said as they walked in the corridor of stairs.

They soon reached the bottom of the stairs, and Brick opened a door to enter a very short corridor. At the end of the corridor was a door like an elevator with a set of keypad numbers on it. He quickly punched some numbers and a second later, the door slid open.

The two entered the room, which was pitch black. Brick flicked a switched, and soon, the eyes of the two children were treated to a sight of a very large laboratory. Inside the laboratory was a huge large training module. The entrance was by another door, and from the lab, you could see the progress through an overhead glass screen. An operator could adjust the training conditions.

"This was where we trained," Brick said with pride. "And this, is where we'll train. So, is this facility cool or what?"

"Well, not as cool as our training facility, but I guess it'll have to do," Blossom replied.

"Come on! There's no denying that this is ten times greater than whatever your professor has," boasted Brick.

"Well, we can all dream," Blossom replied.

"Well, that dream turned reality a long time ago," Brick replied. "Anyway, as Dad said, we have only five days to get to level 15. Now, let me tell you that it is very hard to get to that level. It's not impossible, but it would be very difficult, so we can't just sit all day and train three hours straight for it to be effective. So, since you're the leader, what's your plan?"

"I realize that," Blossom said. "And I've got a plan. We start at four in the morning starting tomorrow. We train until seven, then we eat breakfast for a half hour. We go to school at seven thirty. We resume training at three o'clock in the afternoon until seven. Until eight, we do our homework, and train for the remaining hour before hitting the sack. What do you think?"

"I think we should scrap going to school. It would cost us too much time," Brick countered. "We can tell Dad to persuade Miss Keane to excuse us for five days. It's not that we can't catch up, I mean we're on the top of our class for crying out loud! We train from eight to twelve, and from one to seven, continuously."

"Agreed. Okay, even though I don't like it, you're right, we can't afford the lost time," Blossom said. "Anyway, after dinner, we would fight until eight, then we sleep. We'll sneak out at about nine, when your brothers and my sisters are asleep, to evaluate our performance and plan the next moves. Okay then, now for the actual training. What should we do first? I suggest we fight at level eleven tomorrow. I think a simulated monster fight would do, don't you think?"

"Okay," Brick agreed.

"Now, we would fight the strongest of strong simulated monsters on that level, and only when we can beat it, would we advance. But that's not all. We would fight our simulated counterparts. Remember One? It's not only monsters that we would have to fight, but men like him. I expect that the opponents in here are up to par."

"Yes they are," Brick replied.

"Now the only thing to do is how to deal with crime," Blossom said. "I'll go and connect the hotline here, so that we'll know if Towsville is in trouble. Now, I know what happened to Buttercup and Butch, so we should change the pairing system. Butch and Bubbles should be partners."

"Are you crazy? I don't think Bubbles will like it," Brick warned.

"So? They don't have any say in it. I'm the leader, and if I say so, then they will do it! But I have to ask you, do you agree?"

"Yup, they don't have any say in this, and I would like that you only consult me on important matters. And no. Don't you know that Butch is the only one of us who doesn't like Bubbles? I mean, Butch would be totally mean to Bubbles, and since I like Bubbles, I don't want that to happen to her, I don't like it at all."

"Oh pshaw! That's nonsense Brick! The reason Buttercup and Butch can't work together is that they hate each others guts, while Bubbles and Butch aren't that opposed to each others. Besides, Bubbles would just follow Butch's orders."

"And if she doesn't like it, it won't matter, because she hasn't got a say in it," Brick said. "You've got a point there. Now, how about Boomer and Buttercup?" asked Brick. "You think it will work?"

"Yes it would, because we would make them work. I know that your brothers would commit suicide if you ordered it, and I can exert the same control over my sisters if I wanted to," Blossom stated. "Now, Buttercup and Boomer it shall be."

"How about Boomer and Butch, Buttercup and Bubbles? I think they would work better with each other because well, they're siblings."

"Yeah, but remember, the goal is to make our siblings closer to each other so the Ruff-Puff Alliance will work," Blossom said.

"Oh cut the crap! We all know that the effectiveness of the alliance depends on our cooperation. With it all could be done, without it, nothing could be done," Brick retorted.

"But it will work better if they like each other!" Blossom said.

"You're delusional!" Brick challenged. "They won't work well with each other!"

"Oh I think they would!"

"No they will not!"

"Well, I am the leader, and what I go says, and I say it would be Butch and Bubbles, Boomer and Buttercup, whether they like it or not! And that is my decision, and nothing you say would change it!" Blossom defended.

"Well, you're the leader, so I'll accept it," Brick retorted. "Okay, I have one final proposal."

"Well, spit it out, Brick!"

"Well, I think we need some sort of punishment system, you know, to keep them from tearing each other apart," Brick proposed. "Remember what happened to Butch and Buttercup? If they haven't fought each other, we wouldn't be in this mess right now. Well, they probably know they'd only get a slap in the wrist for that, so if we punish them for fighting each other, instead of doing their job, they'll be less motivated to fight each other and more on doing what they were ordered to."

"That isn't a bad idea, but what punishment could we do? I mean we can't just beat them to a pulp, it'll be too harsh, and we can't be too light either, it would just be another slap in the wrist," Blossom said.

"Well you're right. How about tying them up and gagging them, tickling them then leaving them tied up for two hours?" Brick proposed. "Nah forget it, it's stupid!"

"No, no, it's a good idea!" Blossom said. "Think of it, when we were tied up, it's didn't hurt that much, but it's really uncomfortable, especially the gag! And I know my sisters are really ticklish. How about your brothers?"

"Same with my brothers, they're really ticklish, even Butch! But why that?"

"'Cause it wouldn't hurt, I know—you and your brothers tied me and my sisters before—and they'll only laugh hysterically when we tickle them," Blossom said.

"Oh you're evil!" Brick said. "Well, I can't think of anything better, so I guess I'll agree."

"Okay, it's agreed then," Brick said.

"Boy, they'll be pretty upset when they hear about this!" Blossom observed.

"But remember, they don't have a say in running the Alliance, only we do!" Brick proclaimed with relish.

"And it's for the good of the Ruff-Puff Alliance," Blossom said. "And we have no choice!"

"Well, do you have anything else to talk about?" Blossom asked.

"Well, that's about it," Brick said. "Just want to remind you, we'll have a hell of a day tomorrow at the training, and we'll be worst than a cockroach that has been squished. Are you up to it?"

"Of course. Don't you forget, we went from being no match to you to your equal after a few days' training! The question is, are you up to it?"

"Duh! We're the Rowdyruff Boys! Of course we're up to it! By the way, when will your Dad or the Professor call again?"

"I don't know. Let's just hope he'll call soon. We still need to find out where they are, and how strong is their defense. Remember, we can't be too weak when we rescue them. And after that, we'll destroy bit by bit whatever that bastard Ckracknow built, and I'll tear him limb by limb so that nobody would recognize his body when I'm done with him! Nobody kidnaps my Dad and gets away with it! By the way, how about Miss Keane? I mean we need her acquiescence to pull this off!"

"I'll take care of that," Blossom said. "Anyway, I just want to say, remember, since we agreed on what we'll do, I expect you to support me tomorrow and will not criticize me openly."

"I'll look like a puppet to you if I do that, but yeah, I'll do it, just remember, you should do the same when I'm the leader of this Alliance!" Brick said.

"You'll never be leader until I'm around," Blossom said.

"We'll see. I am after all, the de facto second-in-command, that you can't deny!"

"True, but that doesn't mean anything. You may be the best qualified leader after me, but that doesn't mean you'll be one!"

"Anyway, it's getting late," Brick said. "See you tomorrow at four in the morning!"

So both siblings sneaked out to their rooms and slept.

Tomorrow would be a busy day. And it was going to be a long five days.


	17. The Price of Defiance

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 17**

**The Price of Defiance**

The City of Townsville…

It was about four o'clock in the morning, September 15.

"Wake up Buttercup, Bubbles," Blossom said, gently nudging her sleeping sisters.

"Huh?" Buttercup said, waking up due to the glare of the light in the room. She partially opened her eyes, and saw Blossom standing over them, fully dressed.

"It's four in the morning, Blossom," said Buttercup, yawning. "Put off the light and go to sleep," she yawned, and went back to sleep.

Blossom then pushed Buttercup out of the bed, and she fell to the side with a loud 'thud'.

"Hey," Buttercup complained.

"I said, wake up!" Blossom ordered. "That's an order. And you too, Bubbles."

"Yes Blossom," Bubbles said, yawning and stretching and rubbing her eyes.

"Geez, what time did you wake, Blossom?" asked Buttercup.

"About three thirty," Blossom snapped, "but that isn't what's this is all about. Wash your faces, get dressed, and go to the living room. Now hurry up!"

Blossom then stayed to make sure her sisters hurry up, acting like a drill sergeant.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Hey, Butch, Boomer, wake up," Brick ordered.

But the boys are too deep into sleep.

'Time for drastic measures," Brick said, and took a cup of boiling water, and sprayed a couple of drops on Butch neck.

"Eowwwwww!" Butch suddenly yelled, instantly waking up, and rubbing his neck.

"YOU! Why the heck did you do that!"

"To wake you," Brick simply said. "Now, for Boomer's turn."

He then took an ice cube, and put inside Boomer's pajamas.

Boomer suddenly jumped from the bed.

"Cold! Get it off, get it off!" Boomer said, running around the room. He finally got it off after removing his pajamas and letting the ice cube fall to the floor.

"Very funny, Brick!" Boomer growled.

"That got you awake, didn't it? Now get dressed. We're having a meeting downstairs," Brick ordered.

"Okay, okay," Butch said.

So the two brothers got dressed, and ten minutes later, arrived at the living room, where they promptly collapsed in the couch.

It took another fifteen minutes for the girls to finish getting dressed and fixing themselves up.

"Get up," ordered Brick, pushing them off the couch causing them to fall into the floor.

"We're up, we're up," Boomer said, yawning and sitting on the couch.

"Now that I've got everybody's undivided attention," Blossom began, "let me begin. As you know, our Dads stated that we must increase our strength by fifty percent, meaning we must reach level 15 before we could rescue them. As you all know, it will be very difficult. So Brick and I devised a plan and a schedule for us to accomplish it. First of all, there would be no school for the next five days!"

"Yes!" Butch shouted.

"Woohoo!" Buttercup seconded.

"But what about Miss Keane?" asked Bubbles.

"I've already taken care of that," Brick answered. "I told Dad that we need to take five days off from school, and he agreed. He talked to Miss Keane just a while ago, and she agreed. She'll personally excuse us from school."

"Brick's right. Anyway, we'll train from four in the morning…"

"But that's too early!" Bubbles complained. "I can't wake up that early!"

"You can and you will, it's for the Professor and because I said it!" Blossom countered. "Don't worry, I'll wake you up if you can't get up by yourselves."

"But could we make it about five instead?" asked Bubbles.

"Look, we need all the time we need to train," Blossom replied. "Besides, it's has already been decided!"

"If it has already been decided, then why call this meeting to consult us in the first place?" asked Buttercup.

"Oh this isn't a meeting to consult you," Blossom said, "but only to inform you of what I have decided we should all do. If I need your advice I will ask for it, but right now, I don't. So as I was saying, we start at four in the morning until seven in the morning, when we eat breakfast. We resume training at eight, continue till twelve, where we stop to eat lunch. We resume at one and train non-stop till seven, then we eat dinner. We resume at eight and sleep at nine."

Butch and Boomer looked at Brick, who just nodded, and both of them decided not to complain.

"Furthermore, we can't abandon our crime-fighting responsibilities, so we continue to fight crime using the pairings system. And since we all know what happened to Butch and Buttercup last time, I decided to scrap it, and instead, team up Butch with Bubbles, and Boomer with Buttercup!"

"What the hell! Bubbles is even more sissy than Buttercup!" Butch complained.

"Hey, I'm not a sissy! And I wouldn't want to be teamed up with a mean bully like you! I'd rather be teamed up with Boomer, or even Brick, they're much nicer than you!" Bubbles shot back.

"The hell I'll be partnered with Buttercup!" Boomer thundered. "She's a stuck up jerk!"

"And you're a sawed-off runt," countered Buttercup. "At least Butch has some guts, unlike you. You're pathetic!"

Brick looked on with amusement at all of this.

"Quiet! Whatever your personal feelings with your new partners, you will work with them!" Blossom shouted. "The reason for the new pairings is that we would work better together if we knew each other better, and I believe you would get along with your new partners better with time!"

"Okay, but that doesn't mean I'll like it!" Buttercup pouted.

"Brick, do something!" Butch protested. "You have some clout over her! Tell her to dump this pairings system."

"Sorry Butch, Boomer, but it has already been decided. Perhaps if you didn't fight with Buttercup last time, you still would be partners with her instead of Bubbles," Brick replied. "Besides, I think it's a good idea. And if it's not, what can I do? She's the leader, I'm just a lowly Rowdyruff!"

"You won't protest it?"

"No! And I'm still the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys," Brick asserted. "And you promised to always obey my orders when I resumed my position as leader, no ifs and buts! And I'm telling you to accept her decision, and that's that!"

"Okay," Butch finally spat. "But you're acting like that girl's lackey!"

"I'm not yet finished," Blossom continued. "Since Dr. Edwards is unavailable to inform us of any crime that may occur, I'm going to install the hotline here. Furthermore, to prevent you from fighting, I've decided to punish those who would fight each other instead of doing their job, like Buttercup and Butch did last time."

"Huh? What kind of punishment?" Boomer asked.

"Simple. Both of them would get tied-up and gagged, then tickled then left tied-up for the next two hours!" Blossom explained.

"You won't dare!" Buttercup challenged.

"Yeah, you don't have the guts! Brick, aren't you going to speak out?" Butch said.

"Try me!" Blossom warned. "And we'll see who has the guts!"

"She's right, you know," Brick answered, making a fearsome glare at his brothers. "And I know you and Boomer won't fight your partners, will you?"

Boomer and Butch just nodded.

"So no fighting!" Blossom warned.

"Okay," the four said.

"Now, on to the training," Blossom explained. "Follow me!"

Blossom and Brick then led them to the training room.

Brick set the counter to level 11, and they trained.

Basically, here was the training they did for the next two hours. They first battled simulated monsters, then simulated versions of themselves. To their surprise, they easily passed level 11, and with a little more difficulty, passed level 12 just before breakfast.

"Wow! Who knew we were this strong?" commented Buttercup.

"I don't get it!" Boomer said, scratching his head in confusion. "Last time we trained, we barely passed level 10, now we've just breezed through level 11 and handily beat level 12. And we haven't trained for a month."

"Of course!" Brick exclaimed. "Remember, since that time, we had four fights with the girls, fought incredibly strong monsters, plus One. I think those fights constituted some kind of training, and it made us strong enough to breeze through level 11."

"And we increased our strength on the same level as you boys," Blossom added.

"Wow, I had no idea we were this strong," Butch commented. "Ha, that Ckracknow better get ready for some ass-whopping!"

"Anyway, it's seven already," Blossom said. "I think we better get something to eat."

So the six kids went to the kitchen where they were greeted with Miss Keane's cooking.

"Eat up, kids," she said.

"Wow, this is delicious," said Boomer. "I've never tasted anything like this!"

"Why? Didn't your father cook you breakfast?" asked Miss Keane.

"No. He usually opens up some tuna or some canned goods and that is our breakfast or we would just eat out. He just can't cook!" Brick replied. "I wish Dad would learn how to cook. This is sumptuous!"

"By the way, your father talked to me earlier this morning, and you six kids are excused from school in the next five days starting today so that you kids can train. Good luck kids," she said. "But you sure have a lot of catching up to do once this is over!"

"Thanks Miss Keane," Blossom said.

After breakfast, Miss Keane washed the dishes, while Blossom went to their house to retrieve an extra hotline phone. She then went to the Mayor and Miss Bellum to explain the situation, and went back and installed it in the training area. In the meantime, Brick watched TV, while the rest of the kids slept in the couch.

At eight in the morning, they resumed their training, this time starting at level 13. They had a harder time than before. They were repeatedly pummelled by the simulated monsters at level 13, and only with great difficulty did they beat them. Still, it was clear for all those concerned that they only beat the simulated monster by a hair.

Next, they fought simulated versions of themselves. Now, it became real confusing because they often could not distinguish between their siblings or their counterparts from the simulated ones, while the Artificial Intelligence of the simulated ruffs and puffs have no trouble distinguishing at all.

* * *

At ten in the morning, the training was interrupted by the ringing of the hotline.

"Brick, turn off the—oohh!" she was punched by a simulated Butch in the head.

"Way ahead of you, leadergirl," Brick shouted, as he quickly picked up a remote from his pocket, pressed a button, and the scene changed from a simulated urban battlefield to the steel walls of the lab.

"I'll get it," Blossom said, quickly picking up the phone. "A monster, in Townsville? Okay, Mayor, we're on it!"

She stared at Boomer and Buttercup.

"Okay, Buttercup, Boomer, you take care of the monster," Blossom ordered. "And remember, no fighting!"

"Yeah right," Buttercup snickered.

"What's that, Buttercup?"

"Nothing," she replied.

Buttercup and Boomer went and saw the monster in the midst of destroying the central part of the city. It was a giant ant, the same kind that attacked Townsville before when Bubbles had an eye problem.

"That clod of a mayor! When Dad was the one calling us, the monster was still in the beach and it haven't made it's rampage yet!" Boomer said.

"Yeah, yeah I know the Mayor's an idiot," Buttercup replied, "but Blossom, not that stupid mayor, is really getting under my skin. Out of my way!"

With a burst of speed, she left a surprised Boomer in the dust. He quickly chased after the green puff. Buttercup, however, reached the monster first, and with one punch in the head, knocked it out unconscious. By the time Boomer reached Buttercup about three seconds later, the fight was over.

"Wow, that was fast," Boomer complimented. "Come on, let's go home and train!"

"Wait," Buttercup said, clutching Boomer's shoulder.

"What?" said Boomer.

"Heard the last thing I said," said Buttercup. "Haven't you noticed that Blossom is becoming more and more bossy since becoming leader of this alliance?"

"I don't think she's bossier than before," Boomer replied.

"That's because you don't know her before she became leader of the alliance!" Buttercup charged. "Her head has gotten bigger since then. And she didn't even ask us what we thought of her plan! She could have at least asked us. I wouldn't mind all of them if she just consulted us first! But no, she just lay it on before us and just told us to accept it!"

"Yeah, but so what?" Boomer said. "She's the leader, she could make these things."

"What? Are you telling me that you like Blossom's bossiness?"

"No, you idiot! I don't like her anymore than you do, but Brick said to follow her orders, so that's that!" Boomer replied.

"Scratch that! Listen, let's have a fight here!" Buttercup proposed.

"Are you crazy! Don't you know what she'll do to us if we fought! I don't want to be tied up and tickled!" Boomer said.

"She's bluffing! She's a goody-two shoes for crying out loud! She only wants to scare us into obeying her! I usually don't mind, but this time she's gone too far!" Buttercup declared. "Don't worry, she won't have the guts to actually do it. She has no problem punishing villains, but she won't be able to punish her sisters or counterparts. Remember, she's a goody-two shoes! Besides, the monster is out so we actually aren't doing anything harmful to the city. We're just defying Blossom!"

"But…"

But Buttercup gave a punch to Boomer's stomach.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to do something about it!"

"Why you!" Boomer angrily said. Boomer then attacked Buttercup, and soon a full blown fight commenced.

Unnoticed by both combatants, the giant ant recovered from its unconsciousness. It then resumed its rampage through the city, though Buttercup and Boomer were too busy with their fight to notice it.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The hotline again rang.

"Brick…"

"I know, I know…" said Brick, and he shut off the training simulation.

"Hello, Mayor, what, the Boomer and Buttercup are fighting and the monster is still on a rampage? We're on it!"

Soon, Blossom was steaming mad. "Brick, Butch, Bubbles, it seems that our dear Buttercup and Boomer decided to play games with me."

The rest of the kids understood what Blossom meant. 'I feel sorry for Buttercup right now,' Butch thought. 'But I'll laugh when she gets tickled.'

'What the heck is Boomer up to?' Brick thought. 'I warned him not to fight with her! Now, he'll have to pay!'

Soon, the four went to the city. "Brick, Bubbles, Butch, take care of Buttercup and Boomer. I'll deal with the monster!" Blossom ordered.

"Okay, Butch, Bubbles, grab Buttercup and hold her tight," Brick ordered once Blossom left. "I'll deal with Boomer."

They soon noticed the two. They were too busy fighting each other to notice the three creeping up on them.

Suddenly, Butch grabbed Buttercup from behind. "Let me go, Butch," Buttercup said, struggling hard, trying to kick. Bubbles grabbed her feet and soon, the two overpowered Buttercup. Brick just grabbed Boomer from behind.

"Brick?"

"Don't fight it. I order you to," Brick said.

Boomer then ceased his struggles.

Blossom meanwhile easily finished off the giant ant. She killed it and threw its body on the ocean. She soon returned to where the others were.

"What did I tell you, Buttercup?" demanded Blossom.

"Oh common, we're just having fun!" defended Buttercup. "We've already defeated the monster, we're just practicing our basic moves."

"No you're not. I just defeated the monster you were supposed to fight! Funny, that monster was so easy to defeat!"

"You're pulling my leg," Buttercup said. "I knocked out the monster before I started the fight with Boomer…"

"So you started it!" Butch accused.

"No, I meant was, I already knocked out the monster when Boomer started the fight," Buttercup said.

"You might have knocked out the monster, but you didn't kill it! Now look what happened. It woke up and tore through the city while you and Boomer were too busy to notice!" Blossom said. "And we have to clean up the mess that you made! And if you don't believe me, watch the news and ask the mayor."

"Well, ah, he started it!" Buttercup said, pointing a finger at Boomer.

"Baloney. You started it because you said Blossom wouldn't have the guts to actually punish us if we fought!"

"Liar! I didn't say that, you just…" Buttercup shot back.

"Oh shut up, both of you! So you think I wouldn't carry out my threat," Blossom said. "Bubbles, Butch hold her tight, we'll have a tickle-fest when we get back.

"Huh, you wouldn't tie us up, would you, and tickle us too?" asked Boomer.

"Of course not, you're bluffing, Blossom. You're a goody-two-shoes who can only dish punishment on evil guys, but when it comes to us, you can only threaten us, but not actually dish it out!" Buttercup said.

"You really don't know your sister that well, do you?" Brick snickered.

"Oh really! We'll see," Blossom said.

* * *

When they arrived in the lab…

"So, I'm bluffing, am I?" Blossom said, then got some ropes, and handkerchief in her hands.

Then Buttercup realized she was not bluffing at all. "Oh wait, um, you see, I never actually thought you were bluffing at all, I was only bluffing when I said you were bluffing!"

"Buttercup, I gave a clear warning not to fight, and you still did it," Blossom said. "Don't worry, it won't hurt, you'll just laugh your head off!"

Buttercup tried to make a run for it but Bubbles and Butch held her. Soon, the three of them, with Brick and Boomer just watching, easily overpowered her. Soon, Buttercup was tied up, with hands behind her and at the ankles too.

"Untie me!" Buttercup shouted. "Untie me or I'll tell the Professor about this!"

"Oh shut up, or do you want me to gag you too. And I'm bluffing!" Blossom retorted.

That immediately shut Buttercup up.

Blossom then turned to Boomer. "Your turn."

"But she started it!" Boomer said.

"I said both of those who fought will be punished, since you and Buttercup fought instead of doing away with the monster, it doesn't matter who started the fight," Blossom answered.

"But it's not fair!"

"It may be so, but it's still the rule. You agreed to it after all," Blossom replied.

"Brick, do something," Boomer pleaded to his brother.

"Boomer, be a man and take the punishment. She's right you know," Brick replied. "Besides, you're only getting tied-up and tickled, how hard that can be?"

That dashed Boomer's hope for escape from punishment. So he let himself be tied by Brick in the same manner as Buttercup.

"Now comes the fun part," Blossom said. "Bubbles, you and I will tickle Buttercup. Brick and Butch, take care of Boomer."

Blossom and Bubbles then relentlessly tickled Buttercup for ten whole minutes. At first few seconds, Buttercup bit her tongue, and didn't laugh, but soon, she was all laughing.

Brick just stepped back, and with a smirk on his face, just let Butch tickle Boomer. Until the six minute mark. He then joined the fun and tickled Boomer. Boomer laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.

After the tickling…

"So, did you learn your lesson today, Buttercup?" asked a smiling Blossom after tickling.

Buttercup was trying to catch her breath. She just laughed so hard, yet with her being tied up, she could do nothing about it.

"What lesson, oh wait, no more tickling, please, okay, okay, I learned never to not take any of your threats seriously, that you aren't that goody-two-shoes, okay, you're totally not a goody-two-shoes, and you have guts to punish your sisters!"

"And?" Blossom said.

"What?"

"That you will always obey my orders no matter what, and consider me the greatest leader ever!"

"Hey, I wouldn't…okay, just no more tickling, please. Okay. I, Buttercup, promise to always obey your orders no matter what, and you are the greatest leader ever!"

"And also that you would be subjected to further punishment if you disobey me in the future!"

"Okay, I agree," Buttercup said.

Brick and Butch didn't ask Boomer to say anything, but just smirked over him.

"I think you had enough," Brick merely said.

"Yeah, I won't do that again," Boomer said, "so please, no more tickling."

"Don' t worry," Brick said. "But you sure had fun!"

"So I agreed to all of those," Buttercup demanded. "Now untie mmmmppphhhhhh!"

Blossom put a wad of handkerchief in Buttercup's mouth, and slapped duct tape over it.

"But you forgot the second part of your punishment! You'll be tied up and gagged for the next two hours," Blossom said. "It's eleven, so you would untied at one in the afternoon. Brick, gag Boomer too."

Brick then gagged Boomer the same way Blossom gagged her sister.

Blossom then tied the two back to back using an anti-gravity belt, slopped some goggles on them, put them on a couch in front of a wide screen just outside the lab.

"Okay, the rest of us we'll continue to train for the next two hours. I want you to watch us train so that the next two hours won't be a total waste of time for you!"

Blossom, Brick, Butch and Bubbles continued to train for the next two hours. They got beat up pretty badly during that time since they continued to fight with six simulated version of themselves while they were only four.

After two hours, at one, Blossom released Buttercup and Boomer.

"What have you got to say for yourself?" asked Blossom.

"Well, I was wrong. I shouldn't have started the fight with Boomer," Buttercup apologized, surprising Blossom and shocking the boys. "And I'm sorry Boomer for getting you into trouble."

"Well, it's okay. I'm sorry for this punishment too, but I've got go show that I'm serious in saying that I don't want any more fights between each of you when you're on duty," Blossom said.

"Well, I never thought you would actually carry out your punishment," Buttercup said, "but yeah, I should've killed the monster instead of merely knocking it out before attacking Boomer. But I'm very sorry, especially to you Boomer."

Boomer was surprised, and at first, he didn't know what to say. "Um, uh, okay, I guess," Boomer said. "I was going to demand an apology, but I guess I didn't need to."

Butch and Brick were surprised at how fast the girls made up. But one thing is clear. Blossom won over Buttercup in the latter's challenge to Blossom's authority.

"Ha, but when this is all over and the Professor is safe," Buttercup said, laughing, "I'm going to get back at you for tying me up and tickling me!"

"Ha, you wish!" Blossom said, then the two collapsed into laughter as all of them went and ate lunch.

In the next five days of training, the kids never fought each other again while doing their jobs. And they never blatantly disobeyed Blossom in such a direct manner that Buttercup did that day.

They were able to beat level 13 before the night was out. They trained hard. And Blossom and Brick would sneak out at night to the lab to make an assessment about the achievements of the day and plan the next days' activities.

They beat level 15 at the third day. Level 16 was harder but was beaten at the fourth day. Finally, level 17 was finally beaten with great effort on the fifth day.

During all that time, Miss Keane took care of the personal needs of the six kids.

* * *

It was September 20.

It was about ten in the night, and as usual, Blossom and Brick sneaked into the lab.

"Well, we certainly have accomplished much. Ha, under my leadership," boasted Blossom, "we made it to level 17, two levels higher than the objective."

"Ha! You have nothing to do with it!" Brick countered. "In fact, I am more responsible for it than you!"

"And your evidence is?"

"Your puny mind and ugly face could not possibly comprehend my reasoning and my evidence," Brick mocked. "And you'll fully realize the extent of my superiority over you when I become leader of this alliance!"

"You're still dreaming, Brick. You'll never become leader of this alliance as long as I'm around!" Blossom declared. "Though you're a great second in command!"

"Always remember that I do this things because it is in my self-interest to do so," Brick remarked. "The thing that bothers me is that it also benefits you! But always remember that I do things because it's for my selfish self-interest!"

"Whatever!" Blossom said, dismissing Brick's remarks. "You always say that, but I don't care! It doesn't mean anything. Anyway, now that the five days training is over, now what?"

"We'll wait for Dad's call," Brick said. "Then we act."

"Brick, are you there?" Dr. Edwards voice suddenly was heard in his watch.

"Dad! How are you?"

"Well, okay I guess. Listen, I had just gotten the information that I needed. Now, you may rescue us."

"But doc, where are you?" asked Blossom.

"Well, I don't know. But Brick, I think you can locate me using the computer in the lab. You see, this watch has a homing device and you can pinpoint my location," Dr. Edwards instructed. He then gave a series of steps that they would have to make in the computer.

"Well, there it is. Now, where are we?"

"Wait Dad, it's still locating…bingo! Dad, you and the Professor are on an island 200 miles off the coast of Oregon," Brick declared.

"Well, that's great," Dr. Edwards declared. "Now, connect the computer with the watch using connecting wires."

Brick did just that.

"The professor and I have just stolen the defense plans of the island. I'm going to send it to you so you can have less difficulty in rescuing us and destroying the work of Ckracknow," Dr. Edwards said. "By the way, how's your training? Did you reach level 15?"

"We reached level 17!" Blossom shouted.

"Really? Wow, I never knew you kids were that strong! Congratulations! Anyway, here are the plans."

So the defense plans of the island of Ckracknow was loaded into the computer on the lab of the house of the Rowdyruffs.

"Tomorrow will be fun," Brick said as he scanned the plans.


	18. The Commencement of Attack

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 18**

**The Commencement of Attack**

The City of Townsville…

Blossom and Brick, at the middle of the night, were pouring over printed maps and plans.

"So this island isn't on regular maps," Brick said, pouring over an atlas.

"Yes, it seemed as if that island just didn't exist," Blossom added.

"Officially, it doesn't," Brick said. "If everybody knows about it and what Ckracknow is doing, then we would probably have sent some stealth bombers and the marines to take care of it."

"Yeah, now according to these plans, you can't actually see the island. That bastard has made a kind of visual dome over the island that absorbs all the light for power, and at the same time, blends perfectly with its surroundings, making it invisible to the outside observer," Blossom observed.

"And the defense of the island is a joke. I only had big guns! It's would be as easy as taking candy from a baby to break in once you find the island!" Brick added.

"Yeah, but don't forget, that Ckracknow has probably more superpowered monsters waiting for us," Blossom countered. "And I'd bet there many more Ones."

"So what?" Brick said, brushing off Blossom's objections. "We're stronger by more than fifty percent. Whence we were equal, now we have marked superiority!"

"I can only hope you're right, Brick," Blossom said.

"I know I am," Brick confidently said. "Nothing on earth, or perhaps the universe, could ever match us in strength and speed. We are at the pinnacle of humanity. Anyway, here's my plan. We can't just bust in. If we do that, they might panic and kill our Dads! I propose we split up. Three of us will go up in front and try to make as much attention as possible. Those three would pretend to negotiate the release of our Dads. At the same time, three would sneak-in and rescue our Dads behind their backs. That way, we can safely snatch our Dads away! And when we do, we can unleash hell on that base and destroy it bit by bit! What do you think?"

"That might work," said Blossom. "Okay, you and your brothers go and be the distraction, while me and my sisters would sneak up and rescue our Dads!"

"No! Me and my brothers should be the one to rescue Dad and the Professor while you be the distraction to Ckracknow!" Brick countered.

"Oh no! You just want to get the glory by being the one who actually save our parents!"

"And why not? It's my plan, so I should have the glory!" Brick asserted.

"No! Since I'm the leader, I'll execute the plan, and therefore I should get the glory!" Blossom replied.

"No I should! I want to be the one to actually rescue Dad!" shouted Brick.

"NO, I want to! I am the leader and I have the responsibility to direct all operations," Blossom countered, further shouting.

"Yeah, but you don't have the responsibility to get all the glory!" Brick countered, also shouting. "Besides, you're the leader. You can't get yourself hurt because you have to direct operations, so you should leave all the dangerous stuff to us underlings, since you're so important, you shouldn't put yourself in greater risk!"

"I will be the one to sneak in the base and I have a perfectly good reason why I should be the one!" Blossom said.

"What?" asked a skeptical Brick.

"Because I'm the leader, and you will do as I say!" Blossom shouted.

"Well, you're right, you are the leader. But what if I defy you?" asked Brick, with a lower voice.

"You'd suffer the same fate as Buttercup and Boomer!"

"Meaning?"

"I'd have you tied up and tickled!" Blossom audaciously said.

"You've got to be kidding!"

"Oh am I?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!"

"If I do, whom will you order to do it, cause you couldn't do it by yourself cause you'll have a fight by your hands!"

"Oh I'm sure Buttercup and Bubbles will be delighted to do it!"

"And I'm sure Butch and Boomer will just watch it all without doing anything," Brick sarcastically replied.

"Oh they would," Blossom replied. "You yourself would order it."

"I don't think so!"

"Really? You spent the past weeks telling them to follow my orders. And you wouldn't stop now!"

"And why not?"

"Because we both know that you still want to be leader, and you won't order them to disobey, since doing so would undermine your future authority!" Blossom countered.

Brick was defeated. He knew she was right. "Oh you win. But I am all doing it on protest! Hey, I know, why don't we both be the one who sneak up on the base! Our siblings would be the one who'll be the distraction, while we would get all the glory!"

"I don't know," Blossom said. "The one's negotiating outside would have to have a leader to guide them so they won't mess up."

"How could they mess up?" countered Brick. "They'd be strong enough. All they have to do is stall for time, and I'm sure they can do it!"

"Yeah, but still…"

"And I won't do my part in protest!"

"Deal!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium had just given the stolen information about the base. They were so proud of themselves.

"So, have you finished divulging the secrets of this base?" Ckracknow suddenly said appearing from behind the two.

"What, um, we don't know what you're talking about," the Professor said.

"Yeah, we weren't giving away plans to nobody," the Doctor explained. "How could we give to anybody your secrets, since we don't know about it, and even if we do, how can we give it to anybody, since we don't have any communication with anybody outside this base."

"Gentlemen, don't take me for a fool," Ckracknow said. "You were transmitting information to your sons about the defenses of this base and you were stealing information for your own profit."

"That's not true…"

"Cut the sh!t! I have hidden cameras all over the place, and I've listened to everything you've said in the past few days. Ah, such loyalty, it brings me nearly to tears!"

"Then if you know all of this, why the hell did you let us run amock, pretending to deceive you?" Dr. Edwards asked.

"Because you think you deceived me, when in fact, you're the ones who were deceived in thinking that you've deceived me. Besides, I am getting much advantage by letting you continue your research while thinking you had me fooled."

"Then all the data you gave us is fake?" asked the Doctor.

"Not quite. All the data I have given to you about the monsters are factual. In fact, you now know as much about the monsters as I do," Ckracknow said. "Don't look surprised. I needed the information which only you could give, and I couldn't have it if I supplied you with false information."

"And what makes you think we'll work for you after this?" asked Professor Utonium.

"If you want to see your sons and daughters alive after today you will! You see, you sent them fake defense plans of this island, and when they arrive, they'll be surprised. They'll be walking into a trap. Now, if you work for me, I'll only keep them captive. If not, I'll torture them before killing them."

The Professor and the Doctor stared at the little mad scientist. They could not believe they were outwitted.

Soon, a large man went and grabbed the doctor, while the another went and took the doctor's watch. Another large man grabbed the Professor.

"Throw them in their previous cell," Ckracknow ordered.

The two men then threw the two scientists into a cell. It was the same cell they had been thrown into during their first day of activity.

"Crap! Now the situation is all fcked up!" Dr. Edwards exclaimed as soon as they were left alone locked up in their old cell.

"Yeah, I guess it was going too good for it to last. And who could have thought that Ckracknow is such a smart piece of sh!t!" the Professor commented.

"Yeah, we underestimated that Crackpot! We thought we could fool him, and it turned out that he fooled us! Damned bastard. Now we even put our children in danger. What could we do John?"

"We could just pray, William, that the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys could escape whatever trap Cracknow has for them," the Professor said, but his face saw that he did not believe his own words. Clearly, both of them were angry, but demoralized.

* * *

The next morning, September 21…

"And that's the plan," Blossom said as she finished talking to her sisters and to the Rowdyruff Boys. Of course, it was not news to Brick.

"Hey, I don't want to just be a distraction," Buttercup complained.

"I know, but we all have to do our part," Blossom confidently said.

"But why you two?" asked a curious Bubbles.

"I know!" Buttercup said. "They already discussed it last night. I saw you two sneak out and I even heard you shouting about something."

"So what!" Blossom asserted. "Brick and I formulated a great plan!"

"Well, you're the leader," Buttercup said. "But I still think your plan sucks! But what the heck! At least if this all crashes, you can't blame me and we can all blame you."

"Good. Now before we go, I want to say that I'm very proud of all of you for reaching level 17 well before we expected to. We have trained long and hard these past few days so that we could rescue Professor Utonium and Dr. Edwards, two people very close to our hearts. We have endured the past few days without their company, missing them terribly, knowing that they are suffering imprisoned in some madman's island. We have spent the past few days worrying, and now, we hope, by the end of this day, this would just be a bad memory."

"Now we will come fact to face with the evil that for the past few days had repeatedly tried to kill us. Several times, we nearly had been killed. Several times, we failed to cooperate. Several times, we seemed to lose our common sense. Yet we could say that, despite all of this, despite all of the odds against us, we can't say we failed, because our enemies aren't nearer to their objective of annihilating us than before. We have soldiered on, and triumphed, even as we committed terrible mistakes. In fact, we even became stronger, both physically and in morale. I am very proud of all of us, and I'm glad we made it this far. "

"Now some of you might object to my leadership. Yes, I know, Boomer, Butch, that both of you very much dislike me and the idea of me as your leader. In fact, I wouldn't be exaggerating if I would say that you hated me. Well, I deeply regret that. I wish we could be in better terms and be friends. I know you wanted Brick to be the leader, but only one us can be the leader, and your father chose me. I can only thank you that despite your personal opinion of me, you have chosen to follow my orders, even if you think it is wrong."

"Buttercup, I know I seemed more bossy and arrogant than before. I can only justify it because we are in an emergency, and extraordinary measures were needed. If I fail to act so, then I wouldn't deserve to be the leader. Besides, arrogance is not a disqualifier for leadership. So thanks for being there for all of us."

"Bubbles, thank you for always sticking by me. You're always there for me, and for the rest of us. And you're the only one who is in good terms with two Rowdyruffs. You are one of the bonds that help keep this alliance working."

"And finally, Brick. Thank you very much. I wouldn't be much of a leader without you simply because I know that Butch and Boomer wouldn't follow me if you didn't fully support me. Plus, you've given me valuable lessons in being a leader. First, you never were in lockstep with my decisions, and you always speak your mind, but in the end, you always follow my orders even if you object. Your advice on several occasions were invaluable. You yourself are a brilliant leader Brick. I've observed how you commanded your brothers. I thought you'd be a total jerk, but it turned out that you were only half a jerk, but still a jerk. Now I'd never make an important decision concerning this alliance without asking for your advice. And though you still want to be leader, I'm certain you will never be leader of this alliance, but still, you're the most qualified to take over after me."

"So today, we will go and rescue our Dads. Using my brilliant plan, we will go and bring to justice that Ckracknow! We will bust his operation, kill all his monsters, totally destroy his base, and eliminate every trace of his evil. We will kick some butt! For Townsville, and for humanity, we will win this fight!"

"Yeah!" the rest of them shouted with her. Her speech before them touched them, except Butch and Boomer. It temporarily bolstered her authority among the ranks. It was her at her best.

The six of them flew towards the island.

* * *

They stopped just a hundred miles off the coast of Oregon.

"It's here," Brick said, carrying an atlas.

"Are you sure?" asked Bubbles. "I don't see anything."

"Well, that's because it is covered with a dome made of light that cloaks it. It's like camouflage," said Blossom.

"Is that so?" said Buttercup.

"Okay, you four fly in towards the base from above, and demand from Ckracknow that they release our Dads while Brick and I would fly close to the surface so they won't see us and we can sneak in so we can surprise them."

"Okay," said Buttercup. "Okay guys, let's go!"

The four of them, Bubbles, Boomer, Buttercup and Butch, then dived from high in the sky towards the ocean. Suddenly, they felt some kind of static, then the island magically appeared.

The island is not very large. You can see the entire island from where the four kids were floating. There was a large type of building occupying almost the entire island. There isn't much of a defense. The big guns that were found in the defense plans were not there. Thought there were a lot of antennas sticking out of the building and a large radar was conspicuous.

"Identify yourselves and state your business!" a voice from a large speaker suddenly said.

"Okay, I am Butch," Butch said.

"And I'm Boomer!"

"And we're the Rowdyfuff Boys!" both of them said simultaneously and proudly said.

"I'm Buttercup!"

"And I'm Bubbles!"

"And we're the Powerpuff Girls!" shouted both of the girls.

"Ah, so the children have come to rescue their fathers," a different voice suddenly said. "I'm Ckracknow, and you would have to fight Two if you want to have your Dad back!"

"Two what?" asked Boomer.

"The name of the man you're fighting is Two, idiot!" shouted Ckracknow. "Two, take care of them."

"We can take anything you could throw at us!" Butch shouted.

A large man, about 6'5", emerged from the base. He was muscular, though his face was hidden because he wore a ski mask and has large shades covering his eyes. He was wearing black all over. The kids were about to land on the ground to fight him when he surprised them by floating up towards them.

"Take your best shot!" the man said.

"Oh tough guy, ha? Well, we'll see how tough you are after I'm done with you!" shouted Buttercup. She then backed away a little bit to give her some traction space to charge the man. When suddenly, she screamed.

"Buttercup!" shouted Bubbles, as she saw her being electrocuted by the static dome covering the base. Whereas before, it is only static, it was now electrically charged.

"Ha, the voltage is so high that even with your powers, you can't withstand it. An ordinary human would be crisp in a second, let's see how long you can last!" Ckracknow said.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom and Brick landed unnoticed, or so they thought, on the island. They then quietly walked at the side of the building.

"Look, an entrance!" Blossom said, pointing to a hallway that has no door at the side of the building. "Let's go!

Brick merely nodded and they both went in.

It was a long corridor, and they flew rapidly in. However, there was then a fork in the path.

"Where shall we go?" asked Blossom.

"I think we should split up," Brick proposed. "I'll go left, you go right!"

"Hey, I'm the leader here! So I'll go to the right, while you go to the left!" Blossom declared.

Brick just shrugged his shoulders and went to where he was ordered to go.

Blossom was walking down the right corridor when she encountered some men with gas masks. She was about to knock one of them out when they began spraying a greenish gas. Remembering her last fight with Mojo, she then became afraid of being knocked out by it that she raced pass them.

Soon, they were out of sight. But she soon had no idea where to look. 'I have no idea where they hid the Professor. I know! I'll pretend to be knocked out by the gas, so when they pick me up, they would carry me to where the professor might be!'

The red-haired then dropped to the floor, and pretended to be knocked out.

Soon, the same men who sprayed gas on her was able to catch up to her.

"Hey, looks like the gas did its job after all," said one of the men.

"Let's take her to the boss," said another.

"Yeah, but remember his instructions. We must take the utmost precaution," said another.

Blossom pretended to be asleep and waited for them to carry her. But instead, she felt being rolled into her stomach, and her arms were pulled behind her. She then felt her wrists being tightly cuffed.

Her eyes widened, as she did not expect to be rendered helpless this way.

"Now, gag her so when she wakes up, she wouldn't be able to use that ice breath of hers, and…"

"Oh no you don't!" Blossom suddenly said, waking up, completely surprising the men. She then kicked the nearest man, knocking him out cold.

"Quick, gas her!" one man shouted, and soon, gas spewed forth from their containers. Blossom then decided to run away b before the sleeping gas would overwhelm her.

'Damn! I think I better find Brick and rejoin the others. I can't continue with my plan with my hands cuffed behind me,' she thought, and she raced towards the exit. 'Darn it. This cuffs were as tough as Mojo's and the ropes I used on Buttercup!'

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick was flying at moderate speed when he encountered a group of men wearing gas masks. He smiled evilly as he prepared to give them the beating of their lives.

He soon knocked one out with a punch, but then, the other men began releasing gas. He decided to knock them all out before running away.

After a minute, all the men were out cold, but he then felt tired and sleepy. "Crap! I think what I inhaled was too much sleeping gas!' Brick realized. He then heard some more men going down the corridor. "Damn it. If I stay, I'd probably pass out and I'll be at their freakin' mercy,' Brick thought. 'I'd better find Blossom and rejoin my brothers. '

Brick then reversed himself and flew back from where he came from. Soon, he reached the end of the corridor and he was outside.

He saw Buttercup being electrocuted by the dome. Soon, she fell, unconscious. Boomer, Bubbles and Butch, all very angrily charged at a large man wearing black, floating.

'Is One alive?' he wondered.

"You'll pay for that, Two!" Bubbles, in a manner totally uncharacteristic of her, shouted, and she charged at the man.

"Oh no, you won't get all the fun," Butch said as he also raced towards Two. Boomer then followed suit.

Two then released a pinkish kind of gas, different in form from the green gas that troubled Blossom and Brick.

Bubbles was too angry to notice it, and seconds later, she was unconscious. Boomer and Butch, having no experience with sleeping gas, was clueless about it, and passed out in a few seconds after inhaling it.

'Man, that gas was really strong. This would make the gas I inhaled look like an energy booster,' Brick thought. He then saw Buttercup floating in the ocean. With one heroic effort, he flew in, picked up her unconscious form, saw a cave, and hid her there.

'Oh no, I think I'm going to hit the sack,' Brick thought as he finally succumbed to the sleeping gas. 'I just hope those bastards don't find me.'

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom finally reached the end of the corridor and was now outside. To her horror, she saw Boomer, Bubbles and Butch unconscious, falling towards the sea. However, a large man who was able to fly quickly caught the three of them.

'Is One alive?" was the first thing she thought when she saw the floating man. 'I thought that the sharks ate him after the fight?'

She then saw the man carry them to the building.

Before she could do anything, she turned around and saw Brick carrying an unconscious Buttercup. She flew after them and saw Brick put Buttercup in a cave.

Blossom quickly went to join them, but before she could reach them, Brick too was unconscious.

She then realized that she was the only that was conscious. But she was the only one that has her arms cuffed behind her.

"I really screwed up that time," she said to herself. "I think I better wait for Brick and Buttercup to wake up. I can't fight alone with my hands tied behind me. But I really should have just run away immediately instead of pretending to be asleep."


	19. Rescue Plans

**Allies and Rivals**

**Chapter 19 - Rescue Plans**

The City of Townsville, or rather in an island off the coast of Oregon…

A large masked man entered the lab where Ferguson Ckracknow was eyeing the formulas and numbers worked out by the Professor and Dr. Edwards.

"Master, I have three of the six kids you wanted," said Two, throwing to the floor an unconscious Bubbles, Butch and Boomer.

"Excellent," said Ckracknow as he inspected the two boys and one girl. "Two, watch them, but don't harm them. I have to speak to two recalcitrant scientists."

Ckracknow and a few men then went out of the lab into a narrow corridor. He walked in a proud manner, with a smirk on his face as he fiddled his hands on his pockets. Clearly, he was relishing his moment of triumph.

The corridor itself was long, with doors with bars on either side of it. The party soon stopped in front of a door that is distinguishable from all the others by a number 6 above it.

He took a key from his pocket, and opened the door. Soon, he and his party entered.

"What do you want, Mr. Cracker," Dr. Edwards sneered at the mad scientist.

"It's Ckracknow, Edwards," corrected the scientist. "God, it's been, what? Five or six days since you've been here, and you still can't get my name right?"

"Cut the crap and tell us what you want," the Professor interjected.

"Can't you see? Or are you blind? You are going to finish your research for me," declared Ckracknow.

"Why should you trust us? If we do, you won't get anything, since you already know that we'll try to escape with it," said the Professor.

"Because you won't succeed," said Ckracknow. "You have no chance of escape from my island."

"We'll see," said the Professor. "My girls and his boys will bust us out here any second now!"

"Oh, so that's your great hope, eh? Well, I have news for you. Follow me," Ckracknow said, gesturing his hand to direct the two to follow him. In any case, the choice was taken away from the two when some of the men accompanying Ckracknow shoved them.

"Okay, we'll follow, we'll follow," Edwards said after being shoved. "No need to get rough."

The two scientists then followed Ckracknow to his lab, with guards in front and behind, all holding guns, keeping them in line.

When they reached the lab, both scientists were white with shock.

They saw a big man, about six feet five inches tall, looking squarely at them. But it was not him that shocked them. On his feet, lying on the floor unconscious, were Boomer, Butch and Bubbles.

"Boomer, Butch!" shouted Dr. Edwards, as he run and tried hugging his two sons. "Bastard! What have you done with them?"

"Bubbles! Honey, please be okay," said the Professor as he cuddled his daughter, tears streaming down his eyes. "Will she…"

"They'll be alright. They just inhaled a powerful sleeping gas and they'll be only out for hours," said Ckracknow.

"But where is Brick?" asked Edwards.

"And Blossom and Buttercup?" asked Utonium.

"Buttercup was electrocuted by the dome covering this island, and is probably in the belly of some shark. She fell to the sea unconscious and when Two over here went over to pick her up, she wasn't there."

The Professor's face became whiter than ever as the implications of Ckracknow's words sank into his mind.

"No! Is she dead?" asked the Professor.

"She might as well be dead," said Ckracknow. "She probably drowned and sank to the sea, or was shark meat."

"No! It can't be!" asserted the professor with emotion. "Have you seen her body? Have you seen her being killed, or being drowned?"

"No, but its…"

"Then she isn't dead," the professor said with determination, though his voice was shaking. "I won't believe it until I see her dead body!"

"Then believe what you want," said Ckracknow.

"How about Blossom and Brick?" asked the doctor.

"They chickened out," lied Ckracknow. "Apparently, they just sent their siblings without putting themselves in harm's way. They probably are sitting their asses off at their homes." Of course, the mad scientist knew exactly what happened to the red-headed pair.

"No, Brick is not like that," said the doctor.

"I don't care what you think. You will work for me—if you want your captured children to stay alive," Ckracknow said with a calm, yet deadly voice, his hand pointing at the three unconscious kids.

"You win," said Edwards in surrender, seeing no alternative.

"We'll work for you," said Utonium, though saying it with revulsion.

"Good. Tomorrow, you will start with your new duties. Meanwhile, you two shall spend the rest of the day locked in your cell so you could think about what happened. Guards, escort these two gentlemen to their cells."

The two men were escorted by more than two dozen armed men to their cells. The two were defeated, disappointed, and desperate. But they have not lost hope. They somehow knew that Brick and Blossom were still out there, and they would eventually rescue them.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Two, I know what really happened to those two redheads," Ckracknow said after the two prisoners were out of earshot. "I want you to find them and bring them to me so they can join their siblings."

"Yes, Master," obeyed Two.

As soon as Two left, he then directed his attention to the men watching the unconscious three.

"Those three will wake up soon, so better bind them so they won't be any trouble when they do wake up with all their superpowers," Ckracknow ordered. "Do it the way I taught you to."

The men then did as Ckracknow ordered. They cuffed the hands of the three kids behind their backs. The cuffs they used aren't like ordinary handcuffs. It is made of duranium, and unlike handcuffs, it doesn't have two metal rings connected by a chain, but a single ring that is tightened by a screw after both hands are slipped through and then locked by a tiny key, though the side touching the hands is padded with rubber and cloth.

They then did the same to the feet.

They then strapped an anti-gravity belt to prevent them from flying, then strapping a special kind of goggles on their eyes.

After which, they were gagged by inserting a balled sock into their mouths, then tying a large piece of bandage around their mouths between their teeth to prevent them from spitting out the sock. That way, they can't use any of their mouth attacks, like Bubbles' sonic scream.

After that, the three kids were basically helpless when they woke up, even if their powers were undiminished and they still have strength at level 17. The only thing was, they just couldn't break duranium.

They then placed the three unconscious kids after being tightly bound inside a cell.

Ckracknow took a look at the three captured kids and smiled. 'Mr. Morebucks would be happy to know about this,' Ckracknow thought. 'In fact, it's time to inform my financier of these happy developments.'

Ckracknow, when he was sure no one was watching him, went to a long corridor. The corridor's walls were lined with abstract paintings.

Ckracknow then slightly tilted a random painting. After a few minutes, he continued walking, and turned sharply. It looked like he would deliberately collide into a wall when he suddenly went through it. The wall was just a hologram.

Ckracknow entered another corridor, and into a room. The room has a giant TV screen almost covering an entire wall. Below were a simple keypad and a keyboard.

Ckracknow dialled a few numbers on the keypad, and soon, the dial tone of a phone could be heard.

Soon, the TV screen flickered to life as the figure of Spencer Morebucks emerged.

"What is it now, Ckracknow?" said an obviously busy Mr. Morebucks.

"Well, sir, I have both Professor Utonium and Dr. Edwards in my service and researching the secrets of the monster hide that you have so coveted," declared Ckracknow. "When they do complete the research, I'll hand over the results to you, just like you wanted me to."

Mr. Morebucks was shocked. "How did you…"

"I kidnapped them and brought them over to my island to work for me," said Ckracknow.

"Really? But how would you make them work for you? I know those two, and they wouldn't easily submit to brute force."

"I captured the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys. I simply would threaten to kill them and that would keep those two in line," said Ckracknow.

"What? How the hell did you manage that feat?"

"Sleeping gas," replied Ckracknow.

"That's ingenious. Well, Ckracknow, I want you, after they give you the complete data on the monster hide, to kill both the Professor and Dr. Edwards, as well as their children."

"But it would benefit us more if they work for us, not dead!" Ckracknow protested.

"You forget, Ckracknow, that I am your financier. If not for me, you won't have what you have now. Remember, I could easily cut off your funding, and you wouldn't want that, now would you?" said Morebucks.

"No, sir," said Ckracknow.

"Now, kill them, as well the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys," said Cracknow's financier.

"Yes sir," said Ckracknow.

"By the way, how are you planning to kill the kids? My daughter hired Mojo to kill the girls. Well, he captured them using gas, but the girls were so tough that nothing he tried worked."

"Well sir," said Ckracknow, "I know what the monkey attempted, and I made plans for it. You see, the girls, as well as the boys, then as now can't break duranium. So I plan to bind them with it to make them helpless, toss them in some cell, forget about them, and let them starve to death."

"You're starving them?" asked Morebucks in pleasant surprise.

"Yup! Evil, isn't it? Simple but effective!"

"Good luck then," said Morebucks. "And remember, I don't know anything about this, and if you are caught, I'd deny any connection with you. Goodbye."

Morebucks then cut off the connection. Ckracknow then left the room and went back to the lab.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom was sitting at the wall of the cave, staring at a sleeping Brick and Buttercup. She had, in the meantime, twisted and pulled her hands behind her in an effort either to slip off the snug and tight cuffs from her hands, or to break the cuffs. However, it held, and the only thing that it did was give Blossom sore hands.

'Darn it! I can't get these things off me,' she thought.

She heard some footsteps. Blossom then saw a guard, clutching some kind of gun, and carrying three gas masks!

'How lucky could you get!' thought Blossom.

The man quickly saw Blossom, but before he could do anything, the pink puff quickly flew and kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold.

Blossom then with great difficulty picked up the masks, but was unable to put them on her because her hands were cuffed behind her.

"Guess I'll have to wait for them to wake up,' thought Blossom.

However, she heard more footsteps from outside. She peaked from behind a rock, and saw…Two!

'Oh no!' she thought. 'He must not see Brick or Buttercup.'

Blossom then looked around, and saw some dried seaweed. With great difficulty, she used it to conceal Brick and Buttercup. Blossom then hid behind a rock, and peeked at the oncoming Two.

Two entered the cave. 'Where is the bitch? I saw that redheaded girl enter this cave before I delivered those three brats to the Master. She probably won't be much of a problem. Her hands are cuffed behind her after all and there's no way for her to get it off.' asked the genetically-enhanced clone. He slowly entered the cave, walking cautiously, trying to avoid making unnecessary sounds.

He noticed a pile of seaweed by the wall of the cave as he rounded a corner. He slowly walked towards it.

Suddenly, he was zapped from the side. He then turned to see who was responsible. It was Blossom. She then gave him another zap with her laser-eyes.

"You!" shouted Two. "You'll join your siblings soon enough!" He then prepared to release pinkish gas that has so effectively immobilized Bubbles and Brick's brothers.

"You'll have to catch me first!" shouted Blossom, as she turned and flew deeper into the cave. She knows she can beat Two in a fight, but he has sleeping gas, and she can't wear the gas mask that she clutched in her hands behind her.

Two chased the leader of the alliance deeper in the cave.

Blossom saw an intersection—a fork in the cave, and she flew on the left fork. Two saw it and followed her. As it turns out, it led to an exit to the sea. The large man flew out of the cave—but Blossom seemed to have disappeared.

He scanned the area. He inspected the cliffs, the beaches and the coves of the island, but he didn't find her.

After ten minutes of futile searching, Two was becoming frustrated.

"Hey bitch! Come out or your sister will really get it! What's the matter, afraid? Yeah, you're a just a little girl that can do jack sh!t!" Two insinuated in an attempt to draw out Blossom.

But Blossom did not take the bait.

Blossom had been hiding behind a crevice near the entrance of the second cave. When she saw Two fly past her, she waited a bit, then flew back in.

Blossom then decided to explore the caves. 'Maybe the cave leads to a secret entrance to the base?' she thought. She slowly flew back to the fork, then took the right cave. The pink puff then slowly flew into the cave, inspecting every crevice and every detail that might give her a clue.

'But should I just leave Brick and Buttercup alone?' asked Blossom. 'No, I can't carry them with my hands cuffed. And those seaweeds do a good job at concealing them. Besides, I'll get a lot more done if I just find a way into that building than if I just watch them sleep.'

Blossom spent the next three hours exploring the networks of caves near the island.

* * *

A couple of hours later…

Boomer shook his head as he regained consciousness. He tried stretching out, but realized he was kind of restricted. 'What the heck is going on here,' he thought as he tried to get up. He stumbled on his first try. It is then that he noticed he was tied up and gagged. Then, he remembered everything that happened. 'Man, that pinkish gas must be some kind of sleeping substance,' Boomer thought.

He looked around and saw that he is in some kind of dark cell with only a tiny window with bars on the top. He tried flying towards it but he suddenly can't.

'Crap, they must have strapped on some anti-gravity belts on us,' thought Boomer. He then scanned the rest of the cell. They were lying on a large bed, thought the rest of the room was empty with only a table as the other furnishing. He then noticed felt a kick on his back.

He was pushed a little, but he turned, and saw Butch with him, in exactly the same way as he was. And he was laughing!

In revenge, Boomer tried to kick him back. Soon, they were engaged in a playful game of who can kick the other most.

After a while, they stopped. Bubbles soon regained consciousness. However, helpless as they were, unable to communicate with each other, a feeling of dread overcame them. They tried getting free, but failed. After a few futile tries, the three tried to entertain each other by hopping around the cell.

* * *

Meanwhile…

'My head, that gas was nauseating,' thought Brick as he woke up. He noticed he was covered with seaweed. He removed it with disgust and saw Buttercup still sleeping.

He gently kicked her in the side.

"Huh, hey, what's the big idea kicking me," Buttercup said in a drowsy voice.

"So you're awake," sneered Brick. "And I have to wake you up!"

"You don't have to kick me, you jerk," Buttercup sharply replied.

"Well I do, and that's the thanks I get for saving your life!" said Brick.

"Since when did you save my life?" asked a skeptical Buttercup.

"Well, after you got electrocuted by that dome," explained Brick, "you fell unconscious and fell to the sea. Well, I could have saved you or I could let you drown or get eaten by sharks, well, I must have been crazy that time since I actually saved you. That sleeping gas that I've inhaled must have messed up my brain as well because I actually picked you up from the ocean, even if I'm feeling drowsy and weak from the gas at the time!"

"Well, um, I don't need any saving!" Buttercup proudly countered. "I'm a Powerpuff Girl. I can take care of myself." Then in a less hostile tone, she said, "well, thanks anyway, I owe you one. Well, you aren't that much of a jerk at all. I never thought you would actually save me."

Brick was surprised by Buttercup's reaction. He thought she would actually shout at him or something. "Well, that's nothing. I'm just doing it because we need all the help we can get in this mission."

"Thanks anyway!" said Buttercup. "Hey, it's that Two! Let me at him. Hmmpphh!"

Buttercup saw Two floating around the island, seemingly looking for something. She was about to shout to him when Brick stopped her.

"Will you shut up!" Brick said, clamping his hand over her mouth. "We don't want that goon to hear us!"

"What gives! If you are too afraid…" Buttercup said in a loud whisper.

"No. We can easily beat him in a fight. But he has lots of sleeping gas and you'd be out cold before you could say 'damn it!' And you would be captured, just like Bubbles, Boomer and Butch."

Buttercup wanted to fight Two. "I don't care. I want to kick his behind!"

"I do too! But use your mind, damn it! How will you fight him if you're unconscious?"

"Well, I don't intend to be knocked out! And I don't intend to inhale sleeping gas, duh!"

"Neither did my brothers and Bubbles," said Brick. "And you know what happened to them. You have a good chance you'll join them if you go out there."

"I'll take that risk!" Buttercup said, determined.

"And I won't let you risk our entire rescue mission just to satisfy your ego. You won't go there. I won't let you!" Brick sharply replied.

"You're not my leader, so you can't order me around!" Buttercup asserted.

"No I'm not! I'm telling you as your colleague, not as anybody superior to you. And you'll have to fight me first before you can get past me and fight that Two!" Brick threatened. "And I might tie you up too."

"Really?"

"Don't try me, Buttercup. Don't try me," replied Brick.

"Since when did you care for somebody else other than yourself, your brothers and your father?" Buttercup said.

"I don't care for you at all, if that is what you're thinking, but I do know that if you go out there, we would have less chance of rescuing my brothers, my father, your Dad, and Bubbles, not to mention you because you'll probably be captured along! Look, I'm not saying you can't beat up that moron, all I'm saying is that he has a powerful sleeping gas that would immobilize you before you could even touch him and you'll be just another burden that would need to be rescued instead of being a great help for us," Brick reasoned. "If you want to be captured, that's your business, but since it affects the rescue of those close to me, it's my business too, and I won't let you make a fool of yourself. I do care about the success of this mission, and since that mission involves you being safe and not captured, then yes, I do care if you are captured!"

"Well, we have got to take some risks," Buttercup argued back. "If we want to succeed, you sometimes have to gamble!"

"Yeah, but only if there is no other way you to get around it. Right now, attacking Two is very foolish since we can't possibly win without one of us getting knocked out by his gas. No, there are other ways to complete this mission with much less risk," Brick replied. "You can't just attack and just hope for the best. We can't just attack blindly considering all his advantages and pray to God that we get lucky!"

Buttercup has got no reply to his arguments and she suddenly realized how selfish she was.

"Okay, you win! I won't go after Two now, but only because you saved my life and I owe you one. Jeez, I'm not going to win an argument against you! You're smart, and you probably know what you're doing. So there. I won't fight Two now, but you better make me fight him later. You talk just like Blossom! In fact, you're just like her!"

"Is that a compliment, or is that an insult?" asked Brick.

"Figure it out for yourself. But you're less irritating than her, that's for sure. So what's your brilliant plan? You better have one since you sank mine," Buttercup said.

"We'll first find Blossom…"

"By the way, where was Blossom, and what exactly happened to you guys?"

"Blossom and I sneaked into a hallway that seemed unguarded. We split up when we saw a fork in the corridor. I came upon a few thugs with gas masks. I attacked them, and knocked them all out, but before that, they released a green kind of gas. I inhaled a considerable amount of sleeping gas during the fight, and when the fight was finished, I already was feeling kind of sleepy and tired..."

"See, even you can finish them off after you've inhaled gas, so if we finish Two off before the effects of the gas—" Buttercup trailed.

"Will you stop interrupting me?" Brick snapped. "Anyway, I saw you get electrocuted and fall unconscious. Now, the gas Two used is different. It is color pink and much more effective. Well, you know what happened to Bubbles, Boomer and Butch. They quickly got knocked out by gas after you were electrocuted. The effects of the pinkish gas, unlike the greenish gas, would take effect only seconds, not minutes. I saw you floating in the sea, used the last ounces of my energy to pick you up, then fell unconscious when I reached this cave. It's a good thing Two didn't look for us while we were asleep."

"Well, he did look for you. That is why I covered you with seaweed so he wouldn't see you," Blossom explained. "Then I lured him from you guys."

"Blossom!" shouted Brick. "Since when did you arrive?"

"Oh, only a while ago, but long enough to hear your conversation," Blossom said. "Well, Brick's right, Buttercup, I saw him pick you up from the sea."

"I know, I know," Buttercup said. "I didn't say I didn't believe him, you know."

"And he's right about the folly of attacking Two, you know," Blossom continued to lecture.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Buttercup said, by now tired of all the lecturing.

"So where were you?" asked Brick.

Blossom then told the two what happened while they were asleep.

"Thanks Blossom," said Buttercup.

"Your welcome. Now could you please get this things off me!" Blossom ordered, referring to the cuffs still binding her hands.

"I don't know Red. Those cuffs seem just you," teased Buttercup. "You look fab with those on, maybe we should leave them on. Oh Blossom, you know you're too young for jewelry!"

"That's a good one, Buttercup," Brick said, then both of them laughed at Blossom's predicament. "And I thought Butch was a terrible planner!"

"Very funny," said Blossom, though the tone of her voice and the expression on her face belies her words. "Now get this off me!"

"Okay, okay," said Brick. "Turn around so we can take a look at it."

Blossom turned around. Blossom dropped the three gas masks from her hands as Buttercup picked them up.

"Alright! Now we can crush that bastard without worrying about sleeping gas," Buttercup exclaimed.

Brick quickly examined the bonds. "I'm afraid this is exactly like the cuffs you that Mojo used on you."

Brick then tried breaking the cuffs using brute force, but he failed. Buttercup joined too but both of them couldn't break the duranium cuffs on Blossom's wrists.

"Well, we can't break it," Buttercup said. "I'm sorry Blossom."

"Well, the good news is, Dad still has that device he invented a few weeks ago that could cut duranium like a hot knife through butter," Brick said.

"And the bad news is…" said Blossom.

"We can't waste time going back home just to remove those cuffs. They would have to stay until the mission is over and we can all go back home," Brick explained.

"Great, just great," said Blossom. "You're right though, we can't afford to go back home."

"So, how about Brick and I slip on these masks, and show to Two what pain is really all about, then bust the Professor and the others out and we can go home?" suggested Buttercup.

"No. We'll rescue Dad first, then you and Brick will fight Two. The rest of us will destroy the lab and the entire island. Most probably, they also tied them up like me," Blossom instructed. "But first, let's put these gas masks on so we won't fall asleep the minute we encounter another group of those men."

Brick and Buttercup easily put their masks on, while Buttercup's the one who strapped Blossom's mask on the Ruff-Puff leader.

"I've been exploring these caves a few hours, and there is a huge pipe, about six feet in diameter, that ends in one of the caves. It is an exhaust pipe, I can tell, since there was a strong wind blowing out the pipe. I flew in and sure enough, there was this huge fan sucking the wind out of the building. Beyond the fan is a corridor in the building," Blossom explained.

"I get it! We would go in through that pipe so we can sneak in the building without being noticed," Brick said.

"Yup! Glad you've been using your brain," Blossom replied. "Okay, follow me."

Blossom then flew at top speed towards the interior of the cave. Brick and Buttercup followed her. They then went through a maze of caves. Soon enough, it was pitch black, but they can see each other's light trail.

Soon, they felt a strong wind blowing against them. 'We must be near the exhaust pipe,' thought Brick.

After a few more minutes of flying, they finally reached their destination. The hum of the wind blowing and the distant fan spinning was very loud and annoying. Curiously, there was a bulb attached at the roof of the cave, illuminating the cave where the exhaust pipe ends.

"Okay, Buttercup, you go first," ordered Blossom. "I'll go next, while Brick, you cover our rear."

"Way ahead of you, Red," Buttercup said, and plunged ahead. Blossom followed. And Brick.

The exhaust pipe was long and tall, about 50 feet in lengtt. It soon turned 90 degrees and they soon were flying horizontally. At the end of the tunnel, they saw a large fan, about six feet in diameter, rotating at a very fast speed, making the spinning of helicopter blades seem like a turtle. Buttercup smirked, and plunged into the blades.

"Buttercup needs to wear a helmet," said Brick.

"Don't worry. Buttercup's head is strong enough," Blossom assured.

"I'm not talking about your sister. I mean I feel sorry for the fan," Brick snickered. "Buttercup needs to wear a helmet to protect the fan from Buttercup's head."

Soon enough, there was a large and loud crash, and soon, the mangled blades of the fan were lying on the floor of a large corridor.

Buttercup stood in front of the mangled fans, with her hands on her hips. "You may applaud!" Buttercup said with relish.

Blossom and Brick just looked at each other.

They then started to cautiously fly along the corridor that they had just entered. It was a different corridor, with doors with prison bars on it. Soon, they saw about a dozen guards guarding a single prison door with the number six above it.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Two, have you seen those two red-heads?" asked Ckracknow.

"Well, sir, um no," said Two.

"Why the hell can't you find them?! That girl has her hands cuffed, while Brick inhaled sleeping gas!"

"Well, she seemed to disappear. I chased after her, but she eluded me," Two explained.

"Well, go back out there and find those two! Spencer Morebucks will kill me if I don't kill all six ruffs and puffs! I have three of them in one of my cells, and they will starve. Buttercup is probably dead, either drowned or eaten by sharks," Ckracknow said. "But I need to have those two killed or Morebucks will be very upset. And if I go down, I'll drag you down with me! So go out there and find those two! And don't come back without them! You are strong enough, and you have a powerful sleeping gas, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting them once you find them."

"Yes sir," said Two, and he went out again, looking for the two kids, leaving Ckracknow alone in the base with a few hundred bodyguards.

Meanwhile…

"Nah, the Yankees are the best!" Professor Utonium explained, as both he and the doctor talked about a variety of things to pass the time in their cell and to keep them from feeling too depressed.

"Well, I'm a fan of the Mets, I say they are the best," Dr. Edwards explained. "Hell, the Yankees couldn't even…wait a minute, is it me, or do I hear a scuffle outside?"

"Hm, maybe our guards are having a boxing match," suggested the Professor.

"Wanna bet on who's gonna win, John?"

"You're on, William!"

But before the two could rush to the prison door to play spectator to the fight outside, the prison door suddenly opened. The locks on the door were destroyed.

Soon, the two scientists were treated to a sight of unconscious bodies of all their guards, and three kids with gas masks on floating over their guards with their fists clenched.

Suddenly, they realized who they were.

"Brick?" said the Doctor.

"Buttercup, Blossom," said the Professor.

I was their first meeting with them for nearly a week, and it was an emotional moment.


	20. Two v Two

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 20 - Two vs. Two**

The City of Townsville, or rather, on a cell at an island off the coast of Oregon.

"Dad!" Brick shouted. He removed his gas mask, and tears showed in his eyes. "I missed you so much! I'm so glad you're alright!"

He then gave his father a tight hug.

"Professor!" Buttercup and Blossom shouted. Buttercup removed her gas mask, and immediately hugged the Professor, and occasionally pecking him in the cheek, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Blossom also went to the Professor, but for obvious reason, she couldn't remove the gas mask on her face or hug the professor. Nevertheless, the Professor removed the mask and Blossom rubber her cheeks against the Professor's after kissing him in the cheek.

"Oh Professor, you're alright!" Blossom said, crying. "I counted the days till we can again see you and hug you again. I'm glad you're alright!"

"I miss you too girls! You don't know how sad I was when I was away from you," the Professor said. "I want you to know that I love you very very much!"

"I love you too Professor!" Buttercup emotionally said. "I missed you very much!"

"I'm proud of you, Brick. Look at you! You survived almost a week without me, and you managed to do just alright! You maybe a kid, but you sure acted like a man! You'd be an excellent leader of the alliance if you asked me now!" Dr. Edwards said. He then whispered in a voice low enough that neither the Professor nor Blossom nor Buttercup could hear, but clear to Brick's ear, "Just between the two of us, I also think you'd be a better leader than Blossom, but don't tell her, or the Professor, or they might kill me."

"Thanks Dad! You don't know how much those words mean to me," said Brick. He then whispered back, "don't worry Dad, those girls and their father won't know that."

Dr. Edwards suddenly took Brick's cap, then ruffled his hair silly. "You need a haircut!"

"Dad!" shouted Brick, quickly grabbing back his cap and wearing it back.

"I'm glad you're alright. Ckrackerpot or whatever his name is, captured your brothers and Bubbles," Dr. Edwards said. "He said you chickened out, but I knew you'd be smart enough to plan ahead."

"Well, Professor," said Blossom, "and Dr. Edwards, our original plan actually failed."

"Yeah, we didn't expect them to use sleeping gas. We were lucky that only three of us were captured, considering that Buttercup and I also lost consciousness, and Blossom accidentally got her hands cuffed behind her," Brick continued. "We all nearly got captured several times, but thanks to luck, we survived!"

"Not only luck, but my quick thinking," said Blossom. "If I didn't cover you with seaweed when you were unconscious, and didn't lure him away, risking my own capture, then we all would've been also captured. By the way Professor, could you remove this cuff off my hands?"

"Let me see that," said the Professor. "Oh sorry, I don't have anything right now that could remove that cuff off you. But I'm sure Ckracknow has a spare key for it somewhere."

"Speaking of Ckracknow, I think we should find Bubbles and Butch and Boomer and kill that Ckracknow," said Brick. "Not to mention kick the ass of that Two."

"Okay! Doctor, Professor, could you lead us to Ckracknow's office? Brick and Buttercup will fight Two, while the rest of us would free our siblings. Once that happens, and when I get these cuff off my hands, then all six of us would fight Two, while you two would guard Ckracknow," Blossom instructed. "Any questions?"

"Well, I think Dad and the Professor should actually neutralize as many as Ckracknow's clones as they could. Plus, they could save in compact disks as many data in the computers of this base as they could, since we all agreed beforehand to utterly destroy this base," Brick said. "After this day, I don't want a single piece to remain. I want this base to be totally destroyed, and when it's done, I want Ckracknow dead, after a long and painful torture of course. But only if Blossom and Dad are okay about it!"

"I don't think…" Blossom began.

"I think it's fine," Dr. Edwards interrupted, overruling Blossom. "This base doesn't deserve to stand one second longer and Ckrator needs to stop wasting oxygen. I think we should give him the water treatment, don't you think? I wonder how long before he cracks up? Before he begs before his life. Oh what fun that will be!" He then made a sadistic laugh at the thought.

Blossom assumed it was only a joke, and both she and her sister went along.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Mr. Ckracknow, sir, something's happened on sector K," one of Ckracknow's men reported.

"You mean where the cell of those two knuckleheads are located? What's wrong?"

"Well, none of the guards replied when I called them," said the henchmen.

"Let's check the surveillance cameras, shall we?" said Ckracknow. "Maybe they just fell asleep."

Ckracknow then looked looked at the computer screens and linked to the surveillance cameras at sector K.

"Holy sh!t!" shouted Ckracknow. They saw all the guards unconscious and tied up with their own cuffs, while the cell was empty.

"Forty-six, call all the men and have them search the entire base for those two scientists! I want them caught, you hear! I want those two caught!" shouted the mad scientist. "Two!" he shouted in the speaker, get you ass here! You on sector Q, change of plans. Implement plan X for Boomer, Bubbles and Butch. Now, all of the rest of you…"

Suddenly, the door leading to the lab where Ckracknow and his men are working collapsed, and Dr. Edwards, Professor Utonium, Brick, Buttercup and Blossom entered.

"It's over!" said Dr. Edwards, with a gun pointed at the doctor. "Now, say your prayers because I'm going to kill…"

"No doctor," Blossom said. "It's better that we not stoop to his level. We better just ask him to surrender himself, then if he won't, we'll force him to, but no killing!"

"Sorry Blossom, but that fuckin' sh!thead deserves to get his brains blown to bits," Dr. Edwards replied with hatred in his voice.

"William, watch your mouth! There are children in here!" the Professor scolded.

"So what? They'll learn it anyway eventually, I see nothing wrong if my sons say those words earlier than others," Dr. Edwards said. "You can't always speak like your some goddamned aristocrat all the time!"

"But they're still kids, they…"

"Will you idiots get back to the topic on hand!" shouted Ckracknow. "I swear, you guys still act like kids!"

"Shut up, Ckracker, we're still trying to decide whether or not we'll kill you," Dr. Edwards retorted.

"Where's Bubbles, Butch and Boomer?" asked Blossom in an effort to change the topic.

But before he could reply, Two suddenly arrived.

"Doctor Edwards, Professor Utonium, I want you to meet my most powerful creation, Two, who I assure you will demolish your brats," boasted Ckracknow with a cackle.

"Don't be so confident," Brick shot back. "The only reason you were able to beat my brothers is that you used sleeping gas. Now, we'll rip the guts off your carcass because we have gas masks!"

"I don't need gas do make you even flatter than your Mom's pancakes!" replied Two.

"Can you then please take your fight outside?" asked Ckracknow. "I don't want my lab to be damaged by a fight."

"Yes sir, Mr. Ckracknow sir!" Two said. "We're going to fight outside!"

"We don't care where we fight you, we'll still kick your butt!" Buttercup swaggered.

Two, Brick and Buttercup then went out through the terrace on Ckracknow's lab.

"Now release Boomer, Butch and Bubbles," Blossom demanded. She didn't join the fight because she can't fight properly with her hands tightly cuffed behind her. "And while you're at it, give me the keys to these cuffs."

"Your hands are cuffed behind you back?" asked Ckracknow in mock bewilderment. "And I thought you just want to keep your hands behind you all the time, or that you were hiding something! Ha!"

"Very funny," said the Professor. "Now give me the key to the cuffs."

"Okay, you win!" Ckracknow unexpectedly conceded. "Here!"

The mad scientist then tossed to the Professor a small key. The Professor took it and bent down to Blossom level to release it. He put the key on the tiny lock, turned it…

…and it broke, leaving the end stuck in the keyhole, and the Professor holding the handle of a key without its end.

"Why isn't it lose?" asked Blossom, who was expecting to feel the cuffs removed.

"The key broke…" Dr. Edwards said, surprised.

"Do you really think I'd free you from those cuffs? Don't worry, in a few minutes after Two crushes Buttercup and Brick, not only your hands but also your feet will be cuffed in duranium, but you'll also be gagged, your eyes would be strapped with especially designed goggles, you'll be wearing an anti-gravity belt to keep you from flying, in a word—totally helpless—and you'd join Boomer, Bubbles and Butch—and the only thing you could do is squirm like worms!"

"Where are my sons?" asked Dr. Edwards angrily.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" sneered Ckracknow as he turned around and walked towards the terrace. "Now excuse me, I'd like to watch Two pummel those two weaklings."

"Why you little…"

"Now calm down, William. We can force Ckracknow to cough up the whereabouts of your sons and my Bubbles after they defeat Two," counselled the Professor. "In the meantime, let's watch the fight."

Dr. Edwards just nodded at the Professor's suggestion, and the two scientists and Blossom followed Ckracknow into the terrace to watch the fight.

Two floated high in the air and positioned to fight. Brick and Buttercup wore their gas masks and floated to the level of Two.

"Buttercup, before we fight that bastard, I want to make one thing clear," said Brick. "In this battle, I will lead, and you will follow. I want you to follow my orders on how we are going to fight him."

"Hey, why should I listen to you? You're not my leader!" Buttercup said, resenting Brick's bossy attitude.

"Quite simple, really! If you want to win this fight, then we need to cooperate and we need to fight as one," Brick said, looking at Buttercup squarely in the eye. "I'm betting that Two is an even more dangerous opponent than One."

"Who's One?" asked Buttercup in curiosity.

"He's probably a weaker version of Two. Blossom and I fought him and we collapsed and didn't recover for thirty hours. Remember when Blossom and I disappeared? Believe me, I know!"

"Geez Brick, you're just like Blossom!" Buttercup exclaimed in frustration. "Okay, so you know more of this guy, big deal! Still, why should I listen to you?"

"Because I'd rather fight him alone than fight him with you insubordinate," Brick declared. "Besides, you still owe me one, and I'm collecting, even if it's only for this one fight!"

The two then engaged in a staring contest for a few contest. They stared eyeball to eyeball. After about thirty seconds, Buttercup blinked.

"Okay, you win! But only because I owe you one! But this won't happen again!" Buttercup spat. "Now what are we going to do, oh so smarty pants?"

"So you're going to fight, or are you going to bore me to death with your arguments, or are you going to fight each other first!"

"Put a sock in it, Two," said Buttercup.

"Okay, let's kick his butt," said Brick. "When you attack, attack with full force. Don't hold back! Don't give him a chance to regain his breath. And when you attack, attack to kill! Now, he may be as strong, or even stronger than us, but we're two. He can't fight both of us at once, and that alone, if we don't make any mistakes, would keep him from winning. Remember, don't fight fair in this. If we did, we'd only lose. "

Buttercup just nodded as both of them raced to Two. Brick made the first salvo when he laser-eyed the large clone. Two was stung, and was about to make a lunge at Brick in retaliation when Buttercup smashed her fist on his head, causing him to fall down. Before Two could reach the ground, Brick shot a powerful laser beam from his hands that struck him, further disorienting him. He hit the ground on the island, creating a large crater, but before he could recover his senses, Buttercup came upon him like an avenging angel. Grabbing him, she gave him a barrage of kicks and punches like never before.

She then took Two's hand and threw him in the air. "Hey Brick, catch!"

Brick caught Two. "So much for your boasts." He threw him higher, froze him using his ice-breathe, flew higher than where he was, then kicked him back to Buttercup.

Buttercup zapped him, caught his head, then kicked him hard in the gut. She then threw him in the ground, and he seemed to be unconscious.

"Ha, you're so wrong, Brick! Two's all bark and no bite! That was the most hyped up fight in my life! I mean only Mojo's rants are more pathetic than your 'He's so strong' warnings!"

"Well I'll be!" said Brick. "That was the greatest overestimation I have ever done in my entire life. I guess all that training to level 17 really paid off. Well, now we know that Ckracknow's just a paper tiger," Brick said.

"Ha, I bet that we only need to reach until level 14 to defeat Two, seeing as how it's easier to defeat him than to squash a cockroach!" Buttercup boasted. "I guess we don't need your or Blossom's fancy plans after all! All we used is brute strength! Ha, brawn trumps brains!"

"Well, it seemed that your pet is dead," crowed Dr. Edwards. "Now, you are outnumbered, overpowered, and defeated. Tell us where my other sons are."

"Don't be so cocky!" replied Ckracnow. "I admit that your children got much stronger than before. That's why I took no chances and gassed them all. But Blossom and Brick were too clever and escaped and saved Buttercup too. However, seeing the performance of those two, I doubt even if all six were fighting him at the same time could take Two down."

"You're the one to talk. In case you somehow became blind during the fight, Two lost and Brick and Buttercup won!" the Professor boasted.

"Oh really?"

"Hey professor! Blossom! Did you see me? I kicked some butt, yeah!" Buttercup boasted, turning her back from the unconscious Two.

"Buttercup, behind you!" Brick suddenly shouted.

It was too late. The moment Buttercup turned her back, Two suddenly grabbed her feet, then buried his knee into her gut. He then balled her fist and crushed it on Buttercup's back repeatedly. Buttercup just screamed of the pain as she was completely caught off guard. And Two did it so fast that Buttercup wasn't able to respond.

"Oh crap! We should've finished him when we had a chance!" shouted Brick as he dived to attack Two. He flew towards him in a zig-zag line, attempting to confuse Two on where his attack will fall.

Two noticed Brick coming towards him. He quickly grabbed the battered Buttercup by the foot and threw her towards Brick. But Brick zigzagged enough to throw off Two's aim, and Buttercup missed hitting Brick by an inch.

It did, however, distract his attention from Two. Two then shot two powerful beams at Brick.

"Butter…aaahhhhh!" Brick shouted as he was struck unexpectedly.

* * *

"This is the end," said Ckracknow as he, Blossom, the Professor and Dr. Edwards watched the fight. "He could keep up those beams until Brick cracks. With Buttercup out of the way, the other three not here, and Blossom handicapped in a way, there's no chance for Brick. Now, you can still save him. Tell them to surrender, and let them be cuffed, and I'll call off Two. Or not, and you could watch your son be slowly killed. Can you hear the screaming? Can you see the look on his face? He's in pain. Every second that he's stuck in that laser crossfire, he's feeling pain like a million needles piercing him simultaneously. Surrender, if you don't want to lose him."

"No Dr. Edwards," Blossom suddenly spoke. "I'm going there to help!"

"No you won't. Until you get the cuff off your hands, you will not go into a fight with Two," the Professor sternly said.

"But Brick will be killed if I don't do something!" Blossom protested. "And I can still fight with my feet, my mouth and my eyes!"

"Fighting a bunch of guards with no superpowers whatsoever is not the same thing as fighting that monster," the Professor said. "If both Buttercup and Brick can't beat them with their hands free, you won't stand a chance!"

"But Professor, we can't just give up!"

"And I won't have you fight handicapped. I want you girls to fight with your full potential. I want you to fight with your all. And if you are defeated, it should be after giving all you've got. Now, you'll surely lose, but I know that if your hands are free, you'll have a chance," the Professor explained, though his voice is strained, and his expression pained. "I know it's hard, but it's the truth."

"But…"

"Your father is right, Blossom," said Dr. Edwards, staring at his son. "We can't give up. We just can't. But we have to do it right. It might look bleak, but I don't believe it's over."

"Now I know that since you are his father, you have to be optimistic, but you must see the light! You can't stick your head up your ass this long, Dr. Edwards. If you open your eyes, you'd see that your son has no chance!" Ckracknow said. "Surrender, and I'll call off Two."

* * *

Suddenly, Buttercup came from nowhere and kicked a thoroughly surprised Two from behind. It caused Two to abruptly end his devastating laser attack on Brick and cause him to fall to the ground.

"You—you're supposed to be unconscious!" charged Two.

"You should've finished me!" Buttercup replied, spitting blood out of her mouth. She was battered. She was limping. Blood was pouring out from wounds in her head and her dress was stained by a mixture of blood and dirt that it doesn't look green but more of dark brown. She was breathing heavily, and she was hurting from all the injuries Two earlier inflicted on her. Her back was especially vulnerable because of the repeated pounding Two earlier gave her. But make no mistake. She still had a lot of fight in her and had a deadly look in her eyes.

Brick was still conscious after his brush with death. The laser attacks from Two was devastating, and his body, though not weakened much, was reeling with pain. His sweatshirt was burnt, the white shirt underneath which was now showing was covered with sweat, his breathing heavy. He slowly descended into the ground and sat on the grass as he rested. He then watched the standoff between Two and Buttercup.

Since he was near unconsciousness, and a few more blows would take him to dreamland if he fought immediately, so he decided to rest for a few minutes to regain his strength.

'That was close,' thought Brick. 'A few more seconds of being in that laser would have knocked me out, and a few more would had killed me.'

* * *

Dr. Edwards frown turned into a small smirk as he saw the tide turn. Ckracknow's grin was twisted into a expression of shock and disbelief.

Blossom was relieved, though she felt useless just standing and watching.

"What the f*ck are you doing, you idiot," shouted Ckracknow at Two. "Get your act together and crush those brats!"

Buttercup assaulted Two, but unlike before, he was prepared. With Brick exhausted by the laser attack, he just sat there to ward off pangs of unconsciousness. Two deftly dodged Buttercup's lunge. Buttercup immediately turned and tried kicking him, but Two easily dodged him.

"Damn! Those attacks really slowed us down. Look at the fight, Two's having no problem dodging it. And he's smart. We clearly got him first, so he pretended to be unconscious, and struck when Buttercup's back was turned! And he caught us by surprise! We should've killed him immediately, not strut around like a peacock saying we defeated him when we actually didn't!" Brick said to himself as he watched.

"Two is just playing with Buttercup," Blossom said.

"I disagree," the Professor replied. "Buttercup's on the offense! Look, Two can barely hold her off."

"No Professor, if you compare it with the earlier fight, Buttercup's much faster than that. Ckracknow's goon did not weaken, while Buttercup did," Blossom replied. "Now please Professor, can I fight Two too?"

"Not until you get those cuffs off your hands," replied the Professor. "I won't have you fight not fully prepared."

"But…

"And no buts!" the Professor sharply replied. "I know Buttercup and Brick can do it."

Buttercup kept up her assault on Two. She kept on kicking and punching him, but Two dodged her every move. Buttercup tried laser-eyeing him, but Two just dodged it with the speed of a bullet. Soon, he broke into a grin.

"What are you smiling about?" said Buttercup as she made another futile punch.

"Well nothing," Two said. "It's just for someone who claims to be the toughest, you fight like a sissy! Wait! You are one!"

"Why you!" Buttercup said, getting angry at Two's taunt. She then made fiercer, more reckless attacks. It increased in intensity, but for some reason, decreased in accuracy.

"Buttercup you idiot!" shouted Brick, who watched the fight. "Two is just making you angry to throw you off your attack. Damn it, calm down, don't let him get to your goat! You're just wasting your energy!"

"I'm tired playing games with him Brick!" Buttercup shouted back, but nonetheless, backed down a bit then attacked, this time with a cooler head.

"So you saw through my little game," Two said. "Not that it would do you any good. Now, I'm tired of playing games, and I'm bored, so let's make this more interesting, shall we?"

Two lunged at Buttercup, punching her hard at the stomach. It was too fast for her to ignore, then gave her a quick kick in the head, sending her flying away. She landed besides Brick, creating a small crater in the impact.

"Well, rested or not, it's my turn!" Brick said. He saw Two fly fast towards him, intending to finish off Buttercup and possibly him. He started making a ball of energy in his hand, growing it until it was the size of a basketball. He then covered it with ice using his ice breathe.

Two didn't notice Brick as he concentrated on Buttercup. Brick slowly ascended into the air, while Two landed on the crater.

"So, not so cocky now, aren't we?" boasted Two at Buttercup, who struggled to get up.

"Two! You got careless, fool! Above you!" Ckracknow shouted.

"What!" shouted Two. He turned and saw Brick floating proudly, holding a giant ball of ice in his hands.

Two then took Buttercup in his hands, kicked her hard in the gut, causing her to cough blood. She then threw her away.

"You bastard!" shouted Brick as he threw the block of ice at Two.

"You think a block of ice will even tickle me? You disappoint me! The smartest one my ass!"

He smashed the ice with his fist, shattering it into a million pieces—

—and causing a large explosion to happen.

"If you were paying attention to me, then you'd notice that I'd put a ball of energy in that ice. Breaking it released the energy, magnifying the explosion exponentially!" Brick said, smirking.

A large cloud of smoke covered the explosion, and Brick waited. A few seconds, the smoke lifted.

Two is still standing, or rather floating, with an angry scowl in his face. His clothes were destroyed, with an exception of his torn pants still covering his private parts, showing layers of pure muscle underneath. His body was full of wounds and soot. But he was still full of fight!

"You will pay for that!" shouted Two. "I am invincible, and nobody does this to me! This is it! No more Mr. Nice Guy! I'm not going to hold back anymore!"

He then began shouting at the top of his voice.

"What's happening?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Ha! He's transforming into something stronger!" Ckracknow boasted. "He wasn't fighting at full strength all this time!"

Soon, hair began growing all over his body, his muscles became larger, and his face became more rigid. After a few seconds, he completed his transformation. Except for his face, and hands, he looked like a werewolf, with fur covering his entire body, looking more ferocious and terrifying.

"You've been watching too many Dragonball Z shows," commented Blossom. "Who did you imitate, Mr. Ckracknow? Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu? Nah, it looks too much like Cell!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" replied Ckracknow, stumped by Blossom's statement. "What I made is totally original!"

"Nevermind," replied Blossom.

"You're mine!" as Two, in a speed that astonished all participants and observers, grabbed Brick by the arm. Brick tried kicking him, but Two easily blocked it using his other arm. He tossed Brick in the air, and quickly shot a powerful laser beam at him.

He was hit hard, and he fell to the ground. Two rapidly fell on him, slamming him against the ground with his shoulder.

He then picked up Brick. He grabbed his right arm, and in an action which made all cringe, snapped Brick's arm, detaching his humerus (the bone in the upper arm) from his shoulder blade. Brick shouted in pain.

"That's it, shout! Feel the pain!" shouted Two as he again snapped his arm at the elbow, further detaching the bone in the lower arm from that of the upper arm. He squeezed it, shattering the humerus and the Radius and Ulna into a million pieces. The sound of the snapping bones was heard by Buttercup, Dr. Edwards, Blossom and the Professor. Two then threw him down towards Buttercup.

"Brick!" shouted Dr. Edwards, his eyes dropping a few tears. "You monster!"

"Brick!" shouted Buttercup, as he caught him. Surprisingly, he was able to stand on his feet and even float. But his right arm just hung from his body, a useless limp.

"Brick!" shouted Blossom. "Will he be alright, doctor?"

"If he was a human, it would kill him," replied Dr. Edwards. "I don't know if the chemical X would help him, but we can only hope."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm dandy!" replied Brick. "Of course I'm not alright. My right arm is totally broken, and I'm in extreme pain." Brick's face said it all. It is twisted with pain, and he was sweating, but he was determined. "But I can still fight with one arm."

Then, Two made an announcement.

"Obviously, you're no match for me!" shouted the clone. "So I'm giving you five minutes to plan your attack. Obviously, it won't do you any good, since I'm practically invincible, but it would give some entertainment. So think hard. I want a show!"

Buttercup and Brick then took the occasion to rest, though Brick couldn't really relax because of the excruciating pain.

"Five minutes," said Brick. "He's just…wait a minute, five minutes?"

"Yes, five minutes!" replied Buttercup.

"That's it! Buttercup, wear the special shades that Blossom gave you earlier! I'll use the sunball!" Brick shouted as he took his shades using his left hand from his pocket and put it on.

"Huh! Great plan!" shouted Buttercup as she wore hers.

* * *

Dr. Edwards took some shades from his pocket, wore it, gave another one to the Professor, saying, "wear this. I just hope Brick doesn't kill himself in what he's planning!"

The Professor did not know why, but he took it and wore it. Dr. Edwards then took another one and put in on Blossom eyes.

After the end of the five minute break.

Brick took the ball from his pocket using his left hand, pressed a button, and threw it in the air.

Soon, a blinding white light covered the entire area. Soon, everyone except those wearing the special shades were practically blind.

Two was forced to close his eyes. He then blindly charged to where he last saw Brick. But he hit nothing but air.

"Now, let's seriously kick some ass!" said Brick, now sweating heavily. "Buttercup, hit him hard, hit him fast, but above all, hit him where it hurts. We must defeat him before the five minute timer on the ball is up. He can't see us, so it would be as easy as hell, but he's as tough as nails, so don't hold back!"

"You rock Brick!" shouted Buttercup as she and Brick assaulted Two with everything they got.

Brick kicked him hard in the back towards Buttercup, who punched him hard. Brick then used his left arm to shoot laser at him. Buttercup then relentlessly pummeled Two.

It soon became obvious that even as Two could not retaliate, they weren't doing any damage at him at all. They were just too weak individually.

"It's no use! He just not weakening!" shouted Buttercup, rubbing her hands after punching Two. "Punching him is like punching a duranium wall!"

"Right," said Brick. "Well, I have a plan. Can you still do the Furious Fiery Feline?"

"Well yeah, but I need Bubbles and Blossom to do that!"

"Okay! Blossom, could you come over here? We need your help! Don't worry, you won't use your hands!"

"Professor?"

"Well, since Two is pretty much blind, yes, go," the Professor finally conceded. "And good luck."

"Thanks Professor," said Blossom. She then went to where Brick and Buttercup were.

"Blossom, can you make the Furious Fiery Feline even with your hands cuffed behind your back?" asked Brick.

"Yes. What's your plan?"

"Well, that Two has skin as tough as nails, and our attack, even with him blind, didn't make much headway, so here's my plan. We'll combine the Diamond Five with your Furious Fiery Feline, and the combined power of us three should be able to kill him."

"Oh I get it! Nice plan Brick," Blossom complemented.

"But how do you do it? I mean isn't the Diamond Five and the Furious Fiery Feline different attacks? How'd we do it?" Buttercup questioned.

"Well it's simple! We can do it like we usually do and pretend Brick is Bubbles, while Brick can pretend we're Butch and Boomer, and just do like we always do, isn't that right, Brick?" Blossom explained

"By golly, you've read my mind! Yup, that's it!" Brick replied.

"But can you do it? Your arm—does it hurt?"

"It hurts like hell! You can see by the expression on my face damn it, now stop asking stupid questions. I wouldn't plan it if I couldn't do it! And we can't waste anymore time!"

"I know, we can only pull it off while the sunball is working, because I'm sure Two can easily brush the attack off if he can see," Blossom said. "I'm so smart, ain't I. Girls, Furious!"

"Fiery!" Buttercup shouted.

"Feline!" Shouted Blossom.

"Diamond Five!" shouted Brick.

Buttercup and Blossom flew fast towards the sky in parallel lines, while Brick, with his back on the two girls, spun around them while also ascending towards the sky.

Soon, they turned around 180 degrees when they neared space, and soon, the red, pink and green lights merged into a catlike figure, but not quite. Soon it turned into a giant red laser beam with eyes. It soon had lost its catlike look, and looked more like a meteor heading towards earth.

Conveniently for them, Two is floating in the air, with his eyes closed due to the light from the sunball, his back to the sky.

The attack struck him in the back, and Two screamed. To him, it was completely unexpected. At first, it seemed as if the attack couldn't bore down on him, but after a minute, it broke through Two's body, ripping him to shreds.

At that moment, the sunball used up all its stored energy, and the white light disappeared. The laser disintegrated into its component parts.

"Yeah! We rock!" said Buttercup. "C'mon Brick, give me five!"

Brick and Buttercup then high-fived each other—Brick using his left hand.

Buttercup then patted his right arm.

"Aarrrgghhh! Don't touch that! It hurts," shouted Brick. "Well, I'll…"

Brick then lost consciousness—from the extreme pain in his arm and the energy exhausted from the last attack.

"Oh no!" Blossom shouted. "He must have lost so much energy in the last attack. Quick, Buttercup, catch him!"

"Right, Red," said Buttercup, and she quickly caught him a few feet from the ground.

"Let's bring him to Dr. Edwards," instructed Blossom.

* * *

"Well, we won," Dr. Edwards said as he soon as the fact that Two was killed registered in his mind. "Brick!" he shouted as he saw his son collapse mid-air.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Brick is okay," the Professor said, patting him in the back. "He's a Rowdyruff. His arm isn't permanently injured. It'll heal itself, but it would take a week or so before he can use his right arm again. But only if you treat it immediately—if you don't, it'll hurt like hell."

"How do you know that?"

"My girls! Remember, you're not the only father whose children have chemical X," the Professor replied.

"But I'm a doctor. I know that bone fragments could make his situation much worst," said the doctor.

"Yes, but your patients are humans," replied the Professor. "All those bone fragments would work themselves back and heal itself because of the Chemical X. The extent of the damage would only make it longer, but it won't be fatal!"

As soon as the kids arrived, Blossom began to bark orders.

"Doctor, I think you should take Brick and find some medical facility so we can treat his arm, while Professor, Buttercup, find Boomer, Butch and Bubbles," Blossom instructed, but she didn't use her usual bossy tone in front of the two scientists. "I'll go with the Doctor to see how Brick is holding up."

"That's a good plan, Blossom," the Professor said. "Now, Ckracknow, tell us…Ckracknow? Where's Ckracnow?"

"Yeah, where is he?" Blossom said. "There's a score to be settled.

"I don't know. He just disappeared," said Dr. Edwards. "One minute he was besides us, with eyes closed, then the next, after the effect of the sunball wore off, he's gone!"

"Well, I don't need that freak of a scientist to find them," said the Professor. "You go on ahead, William, and treat Brick's arm. I'll find the others."

"John?"

"Yes William?"

"Please find them. Brick is in critical condition, while Boomer and Butch, well, I don't know what happened to them."

"Don't worry William," the Professor reassured. "Bubbles is with them too, you know."

The doctor, carrying Brick, accompanied by a still cuffed Blossom, then went to the medical facility of the lab to treat his son's arm.

The professor then saw one of the henchmen of Ckracknow. "You! Don't attempt to run!" Buttercup then grabbed him by the collar.

"Where did Ckracknow keep Boomer, Butch and Bubbles?"

"I don't…

"Well!" Professor Utonium shouted, pointing his gun at the head of the henchmen.

"Follow me, just don't shoot!"

The henchmen then led the Professor and Buttercup underground, towards a single door. The man took a key from his pocket, and opened it.

"They're there!"

The Professor and Buttercup entered the cell, to find, nothing…

"You lied!" Buttercup said, punching the man.

"I swear! This is where Mr. Ckracknow put them," pleaded the henchman. "Honest!"

"Where are they now?"

"I don't know!"

"Tell the truth!" the Professor demanded

"I really don't know!"

Then suddenly the man had a stroke, and died. Buttercup and the Professor just looked at each other, baffled, having no idea what to do next or where to look.


	21. The Triumph of the RuffPuff Alliance

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 21**

**The Triumph of the Ruff-Puff Alliance**

The City of Townsville, or rather, on an island off the coast of Oregon…

After freeing Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium from their cells, the six burst to Ckracknow's lab. Ckracknow, however, was ready for them. Two, a genetically enhanced clone, then fought Buttercup and Brick.

Brick and Buttercup, with a little help from Blossom, was able to kill Two. But Brick's right arm was crushed, and he collapsed after the fight because of the pain from the injury. Buttercup was bloodied, her entire body covered with blood, but she was still standing and she had enough strength to do some activities. Dr. Edwards concentrated on patching up Brick, while Blossom, with her hands still cuffed, decided to accompany the doctor and look after the two. Professor Utonium and Buttercup were the ones who sought where Boomer, Butch and Bubbles was.

However, their plans were dashed when they discovered that the three were moved from their cells and their only contact, a henchmen, died from stroke.

"Just like the earlier thieves," remarked Buttercup remembering the various thieves that had broken-in on Dr. Edwards' home. "And I'm going to bet that the stroke isn't natural, but caused by Ckracknow to keep him from talking."

"I can't say I don't agree Buttercup," Professor Utonium replied. "Still, where can they have taken them?"

"Well, there are two possibilities. Ckracknow could have taken them away from this island, or they were hidden in other cells in this godforsaken island," Buttercup opined.

"Well, we better start looking then. Buttercup, scan the area around the island to look for boats or ships fleeing this island. I'll go look for them here," the Professor instructed.

"I'm on it!" Buttercup answered before zooming off the island.

* * *

Two hours later later…

The Professor was inspecting the endless cells and rooms in the island without any luck in finding the three. So far, he had looked on cells, rooms, labs, computer rooms, dens, rec rooms, comfort rooms, halls—in short, everywhere—but he couldn't find anything except the dead bodies of Ckracknow's henchmen, all of which died from stroke, not from being killed. He explored a large part of the base, but didn't find anything. He was discouraged, but continued searching on the places he hadn't looked yet.

"Hey Professor!" Buttercup suddenly shouted from behind.

The Professor was startled, and jumped back. "Buttercup! Don't sneak up on me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh sorry, Professor. I just wanted to surprise you!"

"Well, you did a fine job at it! But did you find them?"

"I wish I could say I did, but I didn't. You see Professor, I found only a couple of boats and ships, and they weren't in any of them. I also searched underwater, but they're not there."

"Well, I've still not finished looking at the base," the Professor said with hope. "Maybe they'll turn up?"

"Well, I'll help you Professor!" Buttercup encouraged and zoomed off and searched room by room in a blinding speed.

* * *

Ten minutes later…

"I've looked at all the rooms, and I couldn't find them," Buttercup reported.

"Well, we better go to William and Blossom. Maybe they know a way to find them, because right now, I don't," the Professor explained.

Buttercup nodded, picked up the Professor, and flew towards the medical room, where a still cuffed Blossom and Dr. Edwards with an unconscious Brick lay.

"Any luck finding them?" asked the Doctor when he saw the Professor and Buttercup.

"No. They seemed to have just…disappeared!" the Professor replied. "How's Brick?"

"He's doing fine. He won't be able to use his right arm for a week at a minimum, but other than that, he's fine." Indeed, the Doctor had put his arm, on a cast and tied a sling over it.

"Doctor, does the communicator watches of Boomer, Bubbles and Butch have homing devices?" asked Blossom.

"Of course," thundered Edwards. "I am such an idiot for forgetting the homing devices! Okay. John, look over Brick while I'll try using the computers on this lab to find those three."

Dr. Edwards went to the computer in the room. He began to program the computer to enable him to use it for locating his two sons and Bubbles.

After twenty minutes of gruelling searching in the computer, he finally located the three.

"Bingo!" Dr. Edwards shouted triumphantly as he showed the Professor, Buttercup and Blossom an interactive map on the computer screen with three tiny lights on it. "There they are!"

"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!" the Professor exclaimed. "They're just off the coast of this island, in a few yards to the south! Buttercup, I thought you searched around this island!"

"I did," Buttercup defended. "And I didn't see them."

"Maybe you missed a spot," suggested Blossom. "Because according to the homing devices they are wearing right now, they're 300 yards to the south of this island."

"Buttercup, I think you better have another look. But this time, it should be easier since you know exactly where to look!"

"Sorry for not looking enough," apologized Buttercup. "But I've gotta go! Wish me luck!" 'I hope I find Bubbles this time. I'll never forgive myself if Bubbles died or disappeared for good because I didn't look enough the first time,' she thought as she flew out to the south to look for Bubbles, Butch and Boomer

'Well, this is 300 yards south of the island,' Buttercup thought as she floated by. She then looked around. All she can see is water and the island, but no Bubbles, Boomer or Butch.

"Are you sure, Doctor, Professor?"

"Sure I'm sure," William Knox Edwards replied. "According to the computer, your homing device, Buttercup, and theirs, are on the exact same spot."

"Buttercup, maybe they're under the water?" suggested Professor Utonium.

"Way ahead of you, Professor," Buttercup replied as she dived under water to search.

The water was deep, and cold. At first, she didn't see anything except fish and water. She went further down into the seafloor. She found only rocks, corals, and fish.

After ten minutes of continuous searching, she surfaced to breathe.

"Seen anything, Buttercup?" asked the doctor from his watch.

"Nothing yet!" Buttercup replied. "But I will soon," she added optimistically. "Wish me luck!" Buttercup said to her watch as she again dived. This time, she closely inspected the sandy seafloor.

At the first few minutes, she was about to give up, when she accidentally brushed off some sand from the floor. She was surprised, when, instead of more sand, there was a smooth surface.

'What the?' she thought. She then touched it. 'Why it's steel! I wonder if…well, there's only one way to find out! X-ray vision!'

She then used her x-ray vision to look inside the steel floor of the sea. Interestingly, she found out that it was not a steel floor, but a steel box, shaped like a square. The length, width, and height, was about 20 feet. But what shocked her is to see three small skeletons inside of it, with the cuffs in their wrists and ankles too.

'Oh no, I'm too late. They're dead. They're now only bones,' she thought in panic.

Then, she got the shock on her life when she saw the skeletons move. In fact, she saw them poke each other.

Buttercup raced to the surface filled with shock. She was covered with sweat and shivering with fright.

"Professor, I just saw the skeletons of Butch, Boomer and Bubbles! They're dead," she shouted with tears, "but then, I saw the skeletons move! I think Ckracknow made them zombies!"

"Buttercup, calm down! You're not making any sense!" the Professor shouted. "Now, tell us what happened.

Buttercup narrated all the events that happened since she last dived and discovered through x-ray, the 'skeletons.'

"So there! Bubbles, Butch and Boomer are now skeletons and zombies!" Buttercup screamed, and crying at the same time. "I'm so sorry, Professor!"

But instead of sympathy, she heard laughing from her watch.

"What's so funny? They're gone! How could you laugh! How could you be so insensitive?" Buttercup sobbed and shouted.

"Because Buttercup, they're still alive. The reason you only saw skeletons is that you used x-ray, and since they moved, they're alive! Of course you saw skeletons, what would you expect from just using x-ray?" the Professor explained.

"Oh yeah! How stupid of me!" Buttercup said. 'I think I was too worried about them to think too clearly and I just panicked. I really should have given more thought into it!'

Buttercup then went back to the seafloor, and began digging around the steel box with her hands. Finishing after just ten seconds, she lifted the box, and brought it to the island where the Professor, Dr. Edwards, Blossom, and a now conscious but still weak Brick. After setting it just outside the huge lab, Buttercup gave it a big punch, and it cracked open.

They saw Bubbles, Boomer, and Butch tightly tied-up. Their hands were cuffed behind their backs, and so were their ankles. Their mouths were packed with some kind of cloth, with a large piece of bandana tied over their mouths to prevent them from spitting it out. They were wearing goggles, and a special kind of belt.

Inside the steel box are padded walls, like the ones most rooms in an insane asylum had. There was a single florescent light lighting the box-like room.

But what amazed them most was that they were alive and well, and playing around by trying to tickle each other using their feet. In fact, Bubbles was leaning against the wall, sitting down, laughing behind the gag, while Boomer was tickling her using his feet while lying down and Butch was hopping around for no apparent reason, but still laughing.

"Boys!" shouted Dr. Edwards as he quickly entered the steel box and tightly hugged Boomer and Butch.

"Mmpppphhhhh!" both shouted as they were unexpectedly hugged.

"Oh sorry," the doctor said. He then removed the gags from their mouths and both boys spit out the socks from their mouths.

"Glad those socks were out!" Butch remarked. "Aw Dad, you're embarrassing me! Don't hug me in front of those girls and their Professor!"

"I'm just glad you're alright," Dr. Edwards said, releasing them from their hugs. He then removed their goggles, and their anti-gravity belts, but was unable to remove their cuffs in their wrists and ankles.

"I can't remove those cuffs," Dr. Edwards remarked. "Well, looks like you'll be all tied-up until we get home. At least you'll be less rowdy and naughty until then."

"Bummer!" grunted Boomer.

"Don't worry about it! I missed you both terribly! I'm so proud of all of you! You functioned well without me! Well, you maybe you're still kids, but you can now be called men!"

"Thanks Dad!" said Butch.

Dr. Edwards then ruffled their hair. "By the way, what the hell were you doing when you got free? I mean, tickling Bubbles and hopping around for no reason?"

"Hey, we're kids, give us a break!" Boomer said. "We're stuck in a cell, we're tied-up, we can't break our bonds, we can't talk because we're gagged, so what did you expect us to do? I mean, we can't just sit around! We'll die of boredom if we did just that! So we decided to have some fun the only way we can!"

"Anyway, what exactly happened?" asked the doctor.

Boomer then told the doctor everything that happened. After they were tossed in the cell, they were again gassed a few hours later. When they woke up, they saw that they were in another padded cell with a single florescent light. With nothing else to do, they just tried tickling each other using their feet and hopping around. After a few hours, they suddenly felt the cell move, and then, it cracked, and they saw their Dads.

"Interesting," said the doctor. "Well, you were probably put into that cell while you were out, then the cell itself was buried under the sea to prevent anyone from finding you."

"Whoa! What happened to Brick?" said a surprised Butch. They saw Brick, standing, looking at them, but with bandages on his head and body, his right arm in a cast and sling, with a smirk on his face.

"I was wounded, bozo!" replied Brick. "The bones of my arm got pulverized, so whatever you do, don't touch it, or else!"

"But how—"

"I fought Two! Buttercup and I fought him, and he was at first too strong. But because of my brilliant thinking, we were able to destroy him, but not before he gave me the thrashing of my life!"

"Isn't it funny?" laughed Boomer. "Brick can't use his right arm, but Butch and I can't use both our arms because we our hands are still cuffed behind us!"

"Bubbles!" the Professor shouted. "I missed you so much! Oh how are you, my little baby? I miss you my pansy wansy, my cute little girl, my soft and cuddly darling!"

"Mmmmpphhhhh!" Bubbles said.

The Professor removed her gag, her goggles, and anti-gravity belt, but like the doctor, he can't remove her cuffs at her wrists and her ankles.

"Sorry Bubbles, but I can't remove this things. It's the same thing with Blossom!"

"Don't worry Professor, the important thing is that we're together again, and nothing else matters!" Bubbles said.

"You're right, Bubbles, that's what's important. Besides, William has something that can remove those things from my poor Bubbly wobbly! Oh if I ever get my hands on Ckracknow, I'll break every bone in his body for ever touching my precious wecious baby girl!" the Professor tenderly said.

* * *

Then…

Buttercup shouted. "Ahhh, my back! It hurts!"

"You must have worked too hard after the fight," Blossom suggested.

"Yeah, Red, you're right. That Two must have damaged my back more than I had thought. It survived the fight, but must have been broken because of the rescue I did!" Buttercup explained.

"Let me see that Buttercup? Well, dear, it seemed to me that you need serious medical attention," said the Professor. "Don't worry Buttercup, I'll set you right!"

Professor Utonium then picked up Buttercup and carried her to the medical facility. He then treated her back.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Hm. Let's look around this island while John treats Buttercup, shall we?" Dr. Edwards proposed to his three sons and Blossom and Bubbles.

"Yeah!" Boomer shouted.

So the six (Dr. Edwards, his three sons, Blossom and Bubbles) toured the island. Dr. Edwards walked. Boomer, Butch and Bubbles, unable to walk because their feet were still cuffed, floated besides them. Brick, although free, was too weak to fly so he just walked besides his father. Blossom, though her hands were still cuffed behind her, had her feet free, so she walked besides Dr. Edwards.

The father of the Rowdyruffs then showed them, in a large underground lab, the dead monsters that Ckracknow used for his experiments in mind-control.

"This," Dr. Edwards explained, "is where all those super-strong monsters you fought were made. Ckracklow kidnapped them from Monster Island and turns them into zombies who took their orders from Cracktop himself. I saw this a few days ago when we were still working for Ckrackers—"

"Dad, I think it's pronounced Ckracknow, not Ckracklow, or Cracktop, or Ckrackers," said Brick.

"Whatever!" replied Dr. Edwards. "Anyway, whatever his name was, when you arrived, these monsters were still alive, even thought they were all unconscious. Now, they are dead, no doubt killed by Ckrackerhead the same way he killed all his henchmen, by inducing an artificial stroke."

"Those poor monsters," Bubbles said.

"Poor monsters my ass!" Butch said. "If Ckracknow hadn't killed them, I sure will!"

"Anyway, the tour is finished. I'm going to plant explosives all over this place so it could never again be used for evil," said Dr. Edwards.

"Why use explosives?" Butch incredulously replied. "I can use my laser eyes and I could still smash my body against these walls. After all, even if my hands and feet are tied up, I can still fly and use my eyes! Watch!"

Butch then smashed himself against one of the walls to demonstrate his point, and completely demolished it in the process. After which, he used his laser eyes to demolish another of the walls.

"See?" said Butch.

"I see your point! I guess you can smash it all by yourselves even with those cuffs on, but leave the destruction later. I still have to save all the data in his computers on compact discs so all that knowledge won't go to waste."

"Whatever you say, Dad," Boomer said.

The kids then went to where Buttercup and the Professor were while Dr. Edwards went to the lab to store the information in CDs.

* * *

Later…

Dr. Edwards had long finished copying the files from Ckracknow's computer into CDs, and had just finished loading into a helicopter he had found some of Ckracknow's most expensive equipment. Professor Utonium had just finished fixing Buttercup. Buttercup's body was now covered with bandages, though she could still walk and use both her hands, even if she's too weak to fly, like Brick.

"Well, I guess we can go home now!" Professor Utonium said.

"Finally, I can have these cuffs off my hands," Blossom exclaimed.

"And things can finally be back to normal!" Brick said. "Now that we don't have to worry about anything, maybe I don't have to take orders from Blossom anymore!"

"Wrong Brick! I'm still the leader, and you still have to obey me in matters of the alliance, saving the day, and being superheroes!" Blossom asserted.

"Yeah, yeah, but keep in mind, I still want your position, and I ain't gonna stop trying to take it!"

"Trying is different from succeeding, ain't it Brick?" Blossom said.

"We'll see, we'll see Blossom," Brick said.

"Okay, Blossom, Boomer, Butch, Bubbles, destroy the lab!" Professor Utonium ordered.

"Yeah!" shouted the kids, and they began their destruction. They mostly used their laser eyes, or used their bodies as battering rams, while Bubbles and Boomer also used their sonic attacks. After ten minutes, every facility in Ckracknow's island was destroyed.

"So how'd we do?" asked Butch.

"Just fine!" replied Dr. Edwards. "Now get in the copter. We're going home!"

"Yeah!"

The four kids then went into the helicopter. (Brick and Buttercup were already there).

"Well, we won," Brick said. "We won!"

"And I'm so proud of you, Blossom," said the Professor. "You really did a great job of being a leader, leading your sisters and the Rowdyruff Boys! You are a great leader, my darling daughter. You led them through this crisis, and you led them to victory. I'm glad you're the leader of the alliance!"

"Thanks Professor," said Blossom. "I really am a great leader, aren't I? The greatest there ever was! And the most beautiful too!"

"Yes you are!" the Professor said, before hugging her tightly. Blossom then turned to Brick, and stuck her tongue out, with an 'I'm-a-great-leader-better-than-you-and-you'll-never-be-leader-of-me' look on her face.

"And I'm proud of you too, Buttercup! You really did that Two good! You're so tough, yes you are! You're the toughest of them all!"

"Oh Professor, thanks," replied Buttercup in gratitude.

* * *

The next day, September 22…

The Edwards and the Utoniums had just arrived from their adventure to Townsville the previous day. Dr. Edwards removed the cuffs from both ruffs and puffs, and thanked and paid Ms. Keane for taking care of the kids while they were gone.

Both men, Dr. Edwards, and Professor Utonium, were walking on the street in Townsville, discussing the events of the previous days.

"That was some adventure, John," William said. "Reminds me of our escapades when we're young, but without the evil monsters, evil mad scientists, superpowered children and danger to our lives!"

"Yeah William, if the consequences of failure wasn't so life threatening, it would be fun," said the Professor, "but that said, I don't like to experience that again!" John replied.

"Yeah, but with our kids, I bet it wouldn't be long before we're on some kind of crazy adventure again!" William remarked.

"Well, we better enjoy the peace and tranquillity while it's here," John said. "Tell you what. Let's go to the bar and let's get drunk. I haven't been intoxicated, in, let's say, 20 years or so?"

"Yup! Let's have some real fun!" William replied, slapping Professor in the back. "By the way, I just want to say, that I don't hate you, and I consider you my friend again."

"I know, I know, and I'm glad we can be old friends again," John replied. "Like when we were kids! Me, you, those pranks against Sarah, Sandra, Spence…"

"Speaking of Spencer, I think we did a great wrong when we accused him of being behind all those attacks," William said.

"Yeah, but I don't blame you. I mean, who could have thought that some guy with a funny name, Ckracknow, is behind all of this? Morebucks is the most logical answer, even if we're wrong. I think we owe him an apology for falsely accusing him," John reflected.

"Well, I still hate him, but you're right. He maybe guilty of many things, but he was not behind those monsters and those thieves with numbers as names," William said. "Well, we better get going. Let's get it over with so we can be drunk again, like the old days!"

* * *

Later…

"Mr. Morebucks, Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium are here," Mr. Morebucks' secretary announced.

'What? I thought Ckracknow took care of those two idiots? He's going to pay hell for this!' Morebucks thought. "Let them in."

"What is it you want?" asked Morebucks "And make it quick. I'm a busy man!"

"It won't take long, Spence. Now listen, and listen good. I was wrong. You weren't the one who was behind those monster attacks or those thieves. It was a guy named Ckrackart, and there was no evidence you even knew about him…"

"William, it's Ckracknow!"

"Whatever, John. Well Spence, I'm sorry for falsely accusing you. But that doesn't mean we're in good terms. I'm still going to run your business to the ground!" William Edwards ranted.

"Always direct to the point, eh, Bill, I'm—" Mr. Morebucks replied.

"Don't call me Bill, goddamnit! How many times do I have to tell you, don't call me by that name," Edwards shouted. "Call me Edwards, Dr. Edwards, Mr. Edwards, William, but don't call me Bill, Will, or Billy or Willy! You know I hate those nicknames! God, can't you remember one measly name?"

"No more than you can remember Ckracknow's name, William," John Utonium joked.

"Shut up, John. I don't care how you pronounce Cocknow's name. Spence, there! I made my apology for falsely accusing you of being behind those burglars and monsters! I'm leaving so I don't have to spend another precious second in your filthy presence. Good bye and good riddance to bad rubbish!" William Edwards shouted to Mr. Morebuck's face and stormed off, followed closely by John.

* * *

Outside…

"Well, that went well," John said.

"Don't ever mention that again. It was the most distasteful thing I ever did. But forget about it. Let's go to the bar and let's get drunk!"

"Yeah! Let's have some fun!"

So the two went off to a bar and spent the rest of the day drinking.

* * *

Later that day…

A small man in a white lab suit, with blond hair, and large shades, covering his eyes, entered Morebucks' office.

"Ah, Ckracknow, tell me, why, with all the advantages that you have, have you damned failed to eliminate Edwards and Utonium, not to mention their kids? Now, what is it you want?"

"Well, Mr. Morebucks sir, I did mess up the last operation, but I promise you, I'll succeed next time!" Ckracknow said, promptly apologizing. "I'm sorry for having blown it all away!"

"Now, you are either a liar or an incompetent!" shouted Mr. Morebucks. "Because you told me that you have gassed and immobilized all six of the ruffs and puffs, and to boot, captured the Professor and the Doctor. And nobody even knew. You have Two, one of the most powerful clones in the world, even more powerful than each individual ruff or puff, and you have an army of ordinary clones. You have a battalion of monsters you could have used. And yet, you managed to botch it up! Am I right? Or are you lying and all those status reports you handed me are all false? Tell me, because more than I hate incompetents, I hate liars!"

"I'm not a liar. Those kids got me when I least expected…" Ckracknow explained.

"Precisely why you're incompetent!" Morebucks thundered.

"Well, I have another island off the coast of Washington state, where I have built a back-up base precisely for this sort of contingency," Ckracknow explained. "But most of my equipment and technology was destroyed in the first Island. So, could I ask $100 million dollars so I can rebuild?"

"Idiot! You have a lot of gall to ask for a hundred million dollars after you blew more of my money than you could ever see in your lifetime! What kind of a fool do you take me for, Ckracknow? All that money for nothing! You couldn't even eliminate two scientists!"

"But you did not do everything ineptly. You managed to cover my role all along. So you're not a total waste of oxygen. So I'm giving you Two-hundred million dollars to build your second base! But this is your last chance, Ckracknow! How long can you make this base operational?"

"Three months! I can create another clone like One and Two and kidnap more monsters, and make more powerful creatures. I'll use the money to make the equipment I need to accomplish it. Plus, I have backed-up all of the data I researched in CDs before I escaped so I could replicate all of the things I did!" Ckracknow explained.

"Three months? Well, it's September 22, the Autumn Equinox. I want William Knox Edwards Sr. dead by January 1! I want John Utonium dead by January 1! I want William Bricker Edwards Jr. dead by January 1! I want Wilbur Butch Edwards dead by January 1! I want James Boomer Edwards dead by January 1! Furthermore, my daughter, Princess Morebucks wants Blossom Utonium dead by January 1! She wants Buttercup Utonium dead by January 1! And she wants Bubbles Utonium dead by January 1! And if they're not dead by the New Year, I'll have you dead! This is your last chance, Ckracknow, now get out of my sight before I change my mind!"

"Yes sir, Mr. Morebucks, thank you for being considerate. I promise you, I won't let you down this time, I promise!" Ckracknow said, quickly leaving. He couldn't believe his luck. He did not expected Ckracknow give him the money.

* * *

Three days later, September 25…

It was back to normal for the six kids. There were only petty crime and the usual monsters, which by this time were absolutely no problem for the kids who had passed level 17.

Blossom was back being the bossy leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, Brick was still playing second fiddle, though by this time, Brick was the only one whom Blossom consults about the important decisions regarding the alliance. The pairing system continued, with Butch and Buttercup being paired again. This time, the fear of being tied-up and tickled kept them in line. Bubbles and Boomer, of course, worked smoothly because by this time they liked each other, but only as friends. Brick and Blossom, also worked fine because they respected each other as leaders, though they told everyone they don't like each other at all.

Anyway, Brick's arm has healed considerably, though not completely. He still had his cast and still wears his sling, but that hadn't impeded his actions. Buttercup had completely recovered by this time.

They, being the smart kids they were, easily caught up with the rest of the class after a long absence.

* * *

It was after school, and the kids were preparing to go home.

"Hey Brick, boys," said Blossom to the three.

"What?" asked Brick. "Some stupid granny lost her even more stupid cat in her tree again?"

"No, no! It's just that we decided to have a party to celebrate our victory at our house! And it won't be complete without you," explained Bubbles.

"So you're invited! Are you going?" Blossom asked.

"No," Brick sharply said. "I hate parties!"

"Oh common!" Blossom replied off-handedly. "After all that we've been through, we need to celebrate! We're friends after all!"

"That's what you think! We're not friends! We are allies, but not friends, remember that!" Brick tersely replied.

"Oh please, can you come?" asked Bubbles, trying to be as cute as she can be, looking at Boomer with a sly grin. "Or if Brick won't come, can you, Boomer, at least go?"

"Um, well, uh, you see, I'll only go if Brick goes too," Boomer replied.

"Brick, please! With sugar lumps on it?" Bubbles said, trying to sweet talk Brick into it. "I'd really be happy if you can join us?"

"Sorry, I can't," Brick replied. "I decided that our relationship should be only a matter of business, not personal things. So we would only meet in meetings that would require our presence, and only in important events. As such, we'll work together, and fight together, but that's about it. We won't use this alliance as an excuse for parties, for us to play together, or for having fun for fun's sake."

"So you aren't going?" Bubbles asked.

"Nope! Besides, we gotta get home! See 'ya tomorrow!"

"Boomer?"

"Sorry Bubbles, I'll go with my brother," replied the blue puff.

"Wait guys! I remember! We have still our deal where I would clean your house in exchange for you and Brick playing with me the rest of the day?"

"Oh yeah!" Brick said, slapping his hand on her head. "I completely forgot about the deal. Okay, you can play and have fun with us, but only because of the deal!"

"Thanks Brick, Boomer!" Bubbles said, and in an unexpected move, quickly made a peck on the cheek on Brick and Boomer.

"That was gross!" both boys simultaneously said, wiping the kiss off their cheeks.

"Don't ever do that again!" Brick shouted.

"You boys are funny!" giggled Bubbles. "Especially you Brick! Pretending to be all proud and tough, but underneath you're all just nice and sweet!"

"I am not nice or sweet! Keep that up and I might terminate the deal!" Brick said.

"And Boomer is nice and sweet, and he doesn't hide it, like Brick!"

"I'm not sweet!" shouted Boomer.

"You two are disgusting," Butch remarked. "You let that girl get the best of you?"

"Shut up, Butch!" Brick scolded, glaring at Butch.

But both boys allowed Bubbles to go home with them.

"Wow, I don't know how Bubbles does it! I can never make Brick do things that isn't alliance related without difficulty, and Bubbles seem to melt those two boys without effort," Blossom said to Buttercup besides her. "But things are going according to plan."

* * *

At the Edwards home…

Bubbles, Boomer, Brick and even Butch were relaxing, since there wasn't much mess to begin with for Bubbles to clean. The three boys were fixated on watching TV, so Bubbles took her chance.

She quietly sneaked out so the three boys won't notice her, and went to the lab where Dr. Edwards was working.

"Hi Doctor!" Bubbles cheerily said.

"Hi Bubbles," replied the doctor without taking his eyes off his work.

"Could you do me a favor?" asked the cute little Bubbles.

"Of course, how could I resist someone as cute as you?" Dr. Edwards said, stopping his work and faced Bubbles, pinching her cheek.

"Well you see, the Blossom and Buttercup and me wanted to have a party to celebrate our victory. Well, we invited the boys to a party in our house, but they don't want to. So could you instead hold the party here and the boys could invite us instead?"

"Um, of course, I'd be glad to! I'll invite John, and Sarah, and Sandra, and even the mayor and my colleagues too. I'll also ask Mitch and Mike if they could also come!" Dr. Edwards said. "And I'll invite you too—"

"No, doctor, I want the boys to ask us!"

"But how will you make the boys invite you? I mean if they don't want to go to a party in your house, what makes you think they'll invite you to a party here?"

"Blossom will think of something!" Bubbles replied.

"Okay, I'll prepare the food and the entertainment, and we'll have a party…when do you want it?"

"In three days, doctor," Bubbles said, "in the morning of September 28. And please make the boys dress up."

"So you want a formal party?"

"Nope! Blossom does. She told me to tell you that … oops, I'm not suppose to tell you that Blossom was behind all of this, but oh well!" Bubbles said.

"Okay!"

* * *

Later…

"Were where you?" asked Boomer when Bubbles rejoined the boys.

"Oh I was just talking to your Dad," said Bubbles.

"Okay! What did you talk about?" asked Brick.

"Well, you know, about this and that, and all those things," Bubbles replied.

The boys left it at that, and the three spent the rest of the day watching TV. At six, Bubbles left.

* * *

Later that night…

"Hello?" Brick said as he picked up the phone.

"Hello. It's Blossom," she said at the phone.

"What do you want?" snapped Brick.

"Well, I want to convene a general meeting on some important matter concerning the alliance!"

"Okay, you want it to discuss it with me only or with the entire group?"

"The entire group!"

"So where and when do you want this meeting?"

"I'm thinking, in three days, on September 28, at your house! Since this is an important matter for the alliance, then I can order you to, okay?"

"Yeah, so it's agreed. September 28 at our house, we'll have a meeting," said Brick.

"But you have to invite us first to come to your house," Blossom insisted.

"Why bother? You three just come here in three days!"

"You just invited us!"

"I did?"

"Yup! You told us to come there, and that's an equivalent to an invitation!"

"Okay, okay, I invite you girls! Jeez, you girls are so pushy!" Brick remarked.

"Thanks Brick!" Blossom said, then hung up.

"What's going on Brick?" asked the doctor, who had just passed his son.

"Well, I invited the girls to come over here in three days," Brick said.

"Ah! So you invited the girls to our party?"

"What party?"

"The party that I'm going to throw on the 28th to celebrate our victory over Ckrackbow!"

Then it hit Brick. He had been duped. 'I'm such a sucker for falling for it! I should've seen it coming.'

He then stormed off towards his brothers, angry at Blossom, but mostly angry at himself for falling for such a trick, without saying another word to his father. 'Oh that Blossom is a tricky one! She'll pay for that! We'll see who has the last laugh once I grab the leadership from her!'

* * *

Three days later, on the 28th…

Professor Utonium and his three girls knocked on the door of Dr. Edwards' home. All of them were in formal attire, with the Professor wearing a tuxedo and a bow tie, and the girls wearing fancy party dresses, the same apparel that they wore in the episode, 'Octi Gone' complete with the little ribbons in their heads.

"You're late," said Ms. Keane, who opened the door. "And you'll never guess that William asked me to be the hostess for this party."

"John, glad that you arrived!" said Dr. Edwards, who joined them. He wore an ordinary business suit, with a vest and hat, in color black. "By the way," he whispered, "there's wine so after this party we can drink ourselves silly!"

The other guest include the Mayor, Ms. Bellum, most of the business colleagues of Dr. Edwards, and most important people of Townsville.

"Where are the boys?" asked Bubbles.

"They're upstairs, in Boomer's room," said the doctor.

"Thanks," Blossom replied, and the three girls went upstairs to join the boys.

They found them with Mike, Mitch, Robyn and a couple of other kids sitting around a large table, with chips and piles of play money, playing poker. The three boys were wearing white shirts with ties, though they had their jackets removed. Brick had a vest on and was the only one to wear a hat.

"Brick, stop that right now! Gambling is not good!" Blossom scolded.

"Don't be a spoil sport," Brick shot back. "Besides, you're only using play money. That reminds me…"

He then lay his cards down, and announced…

"Please, all those who are not either a Rowdyruff or a Powerpuff please leave the room. We are going to conduct a very important meeting, so we need to have some privacy."

"Okay, see 'ya later," Mitch replied, and he and the other kids left the room.

"Okay, what are we suppose to meet about?" asked an incredulous Brick.

"Oh yeah, I just want to announce that we won't continue our training at the same pace that we did during the crisis. That's all!"

"That's it?" Boomer said with a wide open mouth.

"Yup!"

"That was just a ploy to get us to invite you to this party, and you had Bubbles con Dr. Edwards into throwing one!" Brick charged. "I suspected it, but your so-called 'meeting' confirmed it."

"Yup! How'd you find out so soon?" Blossom asked. "I thought that plan was a secret?"

"I'm not dumb, you know," Brick replied.

"Nevermind! You, Blossom Utonium, are a despicable, contemptible, loathsome, ugly little girl who don't deserve to be the leader of this alliance, a minute longer, but I have to say, that was a pretty good trick you played on me! And you're not too shabby either as a tactician and strategist!"

"You, William Bricker Edwards Jr., is a despicable, arrogant, mean, cruel, heartless, cynical, opportunistic boy who won't be leader ever as long as I'm around, but thanks anyway for being a good sport about the trick I did. And you're not too bad a tactician yourself in the fight against Two! Those were brilliant."

"Well, as long as you are here, we might as well enjoy ourselves," Brick conceded. And the six kids enjoyed the rest of the party, but with the relationship of the boys and girls basically cordial, but not warm.

* * *

**Author Notes –**This is not the end of the story. Just wrote it to let you know.

Also, after the events of this chapter, but before the beginning of the next chapter, the events of _The Date, What is Buttercup's Plan? _and _The Dance _occurred.

If you want to read more about the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys during the two months between this chapter and the next, you can read _The Date_, when Brick and Blossom arranged for Bubbles and Boomer to go on an amusement park one day. Buttercup was annoyed by the two leaders' arrogant attitude and tried, with Butch, to teach the redheads a lesson, but it slipped away. Will Boomer enjoy his date? Will Brick and Blossom get what they want out of the deal? Will Buttercup succeed in teaching the two readheads a lesson? And what is Mitch Mitchelson doing here?

Then there is _What is Buttercup's Plan?_, a story that happens directly after _The Date_, where Blossom attempts again to arrange something for Boomer and Bubbles, with Brick, but Brick wouldn't bite. It would be the last straw for Buttercup, who decided to implement her plan to teach the redheads a lesson! Would Buttercup this time succeed in getting the best out of the two brilliant redheads? What of Boomer and Butch? And will she escape revenge?

Then there is _The Dance_, a story where a _Sadie Hawkins Dance,_ where the girls ask the boys, and the boy has to take the first girl to ask him to the dance, or else! The boys conjure ways to get out from being asked, and going to the dance, while the girls, as a result of a combination of events, were left with only the Rowdyruffs to ask. Will the Rowdyruff Boys escape from the terrors of the dance? Or will the Powerpuff Girls manage to get the boys to the Dance? And what does Princess Morebucks have to do with all of this?


	22. Brick's Challenge

**Allies and Rivals II**

This Chapter takes place after my fics _The Date,_ _What is Buttercup's Plan?_ and _The Dance. _ Those three happened between the end of chapter 21 and the start of this chapter. You don't really need to read those three fics to understand the events of this and subsequent chapters, although references to those three events would sometimes be thrown in subsequent chapters.

If you want to read more about the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys during the two months between this chapter and the last, you can read _The Date_, when Brick and Blossom arranged for Bubbles and Boomer to go on an amusement park one day. Buttercup was annoyed by the two leaders' arrogant attitude and tried, with Butch, to teach the redheads a lesson, but it slipped away. Will Boomer enjoy his date? Will Brick and Blossom get what they want out of the deal? Will Buttercup succeed in teaching the two readheads a lesson? And what is Mitch Mitchelson doing here?

Then there is _What is Buttercup's Plan?_, a story that happens directly after _The Date_, where Blossom attempts again to arrange something for Boomer and Bubbles, with Brick, but Brick wouldn't bite. It would be the last straw for Buttercup, who decided to implement her plan to teach the redheads a lesson! Would Buttercup this time succeed in getting the best out of the two brilliant redheads? What of Boomer and Butch? And will she escape revenge?

Then there is _The Dance_, a story where a _Sadie Hawkins Dance,_ where the girls ask the boys, and the boy has to take the first girl to ask him to the dance, or else! The boys conjure ways to get out from being asked, and going to the dance, while the girls, as a result of a combination of events, were left with only the Rowdyruffs to ask. Will the Rowdyruff Boys escape from the terrors of the dance? Or will the Powerpuff Girls manage to get the boys to the Dance? And what does Princess Morebucks have to do with all of this?

**Chapter 22 **

**Brick's Challenge**

The City of Townsville…

It has been more than two months since Ckracknow's defeat, and Townsville had experienced a period of relative peace. The crime rate dramatically went down because of the increased efficiency of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, and while monster attacks from Monster Island (and not from Ckracknow) continued, they were so weak, and the ruffs and puffs too fast, for them to do any damage. The villains all mounted attacks, but they were easily overwhelmed. Thus, with almost no security worries, Towsville experienced an economic boom, which brought more prosperity to the people, and made Dr. Edwards, and Spencer Morebucks even richer than they already were.

The ruffs and puffs continued to attend Pokey-Oakes elementary. All of them soon went to the top of their class, since all of them are intelligent—in book smarts at least.

Blossom continued to be the leader of the alliance. As such, among the six, she was credited with having the most to do of the strengthening security situation by most people. Her reputation as leader had never been higher among the people, and even among the members of the alliance, she was respected. Boomer and Butch, though they disliked her, had a grudging respect for her leadership abilities, though they still think Brick was much better.

It was at this atmosphere, at the height of her influence, and her confidence, that her ally and rival, William Bricker Edwards Jr. issued his challenge to Blossom.

It was the first of December, and Brick approached his father at his home office. Dr. Edwards was looking over some financial records of his corporation, and had a slight grin in his face at the increased profits of Edtech Corp., and at the millions of dollars flowing into his coffers.

"Dad?" Brick asked.

"Yes son?" asked Dr. Edwards, putting aside his work to talk to his son.

"Remember, when you told me that I would be a better leader last September, when we rescued you, well, I want to ask you something," Brick asked, looking expectantly at his father.

"Well?"

"Dad, you chose Blossom as the leader since you thought she were better qualified than me before that. I want to know why you changed your mind in between."

"Well son, you committed a number of blunders which influenced my thinking of your skills. You were inexperienced during that time. And I think that you need to gain experience in the business of saving the day before you can be the leader. But your performance on the fight against Ckrackers, notwithstanding your temporary resignation as leader, convinced me that you're qualified, and since you're my son, I think you'll be a better leader."

"Well Dad, do you still think that I would make a good leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance?"

"Of course! I think you're experienced enough. Three months is a long time to be an underling to Blossom."

"So Dad, you won't mind if I become the leader of the alliance?" asked Brick with a grin.

"You're planning to grab the position from Blossom?"

"Yup!" Brick said.

"But why now?"

"Well, I want to wait this long so I can observe and study the girls so I can better control them when I become leader," Brick replied. "Plus, as you said Dad, three months is long enough for experience!"

"Okay, but I want to know how you'll going to do it, since I won't approve of it if it would be crooked and discreditable."

"Well, my plan is…" Brick said, and told his father of his plan.

"That's brilliant Brick!" Dr. Edwards said, after hearing Brick's plan. "But don't you think you're taking a high risk?"

"I'm willing to gamble on it Dad," Brick replied. "And if all goes according to plan, it won't be much of a contest!"

"Well, all I can say is, good luck, son, and I hope you win!" Dr. Edwards said, as he resumed his work.

"Thanks Dad!" Brick said, with a smirk on his face.

* * *

Blossom opened her email address, blossomutonium at townsville dot net , and read her messages. Most of them are either fan mail, and a few hate mail. She took one hour to read all of them. However, she noticed one particular email.

It was from one William B. Edwards Jr., and from the email address wbedwardsjr at edtechcorp dot com. 'Hm, so I got an email from Brick the first time,' she thought. The topic is 'The Challenge'

She opened the message.

_Blossom Utonium,_

_Hello. I just wanted to tell you that you are a terrible leader. You are an arrogant, irritating, loathsome, despicable ugly girl. This past couple of months, you have proved to be an incompetent leader and had ruined Towsnville as a result. You have caused the situation of the alliance to deteriorate. So I am challenging you. I dare you to hold an election among the members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance to determine who will be the leader! And I am willing, no I insist, that you make the rules governing the election._

_I will be eagerly awaiting your reply_

_Brick Edwards_

Blossom read and reread the message, then burst laughing at her chair.

"What's so funny, Blossom?" asked Buttercup.

"Oh nothing. Brick just thinks he can grab my position," she said.

"I don't know," Buttercup replied. "He's pretty shrewd, and if he puts his mind into it, he can do it!"

"Yes, but if you think about it, there's no way he can do it," Blossom boasted. "There is simply no reason for him to replace me other than his ambition to be leader, and that isn't enough. But I won't take any chances. I'll make sure this would permanently end any of his ambitions to be leader, and that he would be a good second-in-command under me from now on!"

"Whatever suits you, Blossom," Buttercup said as she went out of the room.

Blossom then replied. She sent an email in reply.

* * *

Brick checked his email. He got the same fan email, and some hate mail, but he was looking if Blossom replied. He didn't even bother to read most of his emails.

He saw _Blossom Utonium_ with the subject 'Re: The Challenge' from the email address blossomutonium . 'So she replied, eh?'

_W. Bricker Edwards_

_I have received your message regarding your so-called challenge, and it was the funniest thing I've ever read in my life. Now before you reply, let me get one thing straight. I am not incompetent, and I'm not a failure as a leader of this alliance. As proof, ever since I became leader, we have yet to taste defeat. And implying that my leadership has been a disaster for the alliance is to indict yourself as well because you yourself advised me on many of my decisions as leader._

_I dispute your assertion that the situation has indeed become worse under my leadership. In fact, under my leadership, we defeated many super powered monsters, monsters with though hides, with rubbery hides, with duranium armor, One, and others. We have staged a successful rescue of Professor Utonium and Dr. Edwards, and defeated Two. And since, we have not been ever close to defeat in any of the subsequent monster and criminal attacks that happened ever since we defeated Ckracknow. Now, how can you say that under my leadership, the situation deteriorated?_

_There is no reason why you should be leader now. Granted, I'll admit you're fully qualified to lead the alliance, and if you're the leader, I'll gladly follow you as I'm sure you'll do as good as me. But, right now, there is no compelling reason to replace me except your ambition, and your reasoning won't fool anybody._

_I know you're smart, and I know you're not deluding yourself that you can actually beat me or replace me, so you must want something else, and you're using this to use as a leverage so you can have your demand. What do you really want? More power as second-in-command? You want Buttercup and Bubbles to do something for you? Maybe we can strike a deal?_

_Anyway, remove the silly notion that you can replace me as leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. It will never happen—no sir—it won't._

_Anyway, I'm eagerly awaiting your substantive reply._

_Blossom Utonium_

Brick smirked as he read Blossom's reply. And he laughed at his seat.

"Why the hell are you laughing, Brick?" asked Boomer, who came to see him.

"Blossom thinks I'm not serious in my challenge to her," Brick replied.

"Challenge for what?" asked a curious Boomer.

"For the leadership of the alliance!" Brick replied with relish.

"Finally! You're making a move for it!" Boomer replied. "I am so tired of taking orders from Blossom! I'm sick of it! I hate it! At least now, Butch can't anymore call you 'Blossom's lapdog', or something!"

"Well, thanks. But I was never Blossom's lapdog, ever!" Brick quickly replied.

"Whatever! But I'm behind you all the way! Just ask me what needed to be done, and I'll do it! Blossom's going to get it now!"

"I appreciate the help, Boomer, but I've got to reply to Blossom," Brick said, and began typing.

* * *

Blossom again checked her email that night of Dec. 1.

'So, Brick replied, eh? Well, let's see what he has to say?'

_Bloss. Utonium_

_I have received your reply, and I must say, it was very good. But you have left some points out._

_First, I was not serious when I said that you were incompetent, and a terrible leader. I was just joking, and if you took my words describing you seriously, then you are a fool. I know of what happened during this past months, and I admit, you were a competent, even great leader, of this alliance, and you deserve full credit for the success that occurred._

_However, I stand by my statement that you are an __**ugly **__and despicable girl. - Hahahahahaha!_

_You must take blame for all the failures as well take credit for the successes. You forget, you let Dad and your Professor to be kidnapped by Ckracknow. Now, I didn't blame you then because I was too busy blaming myself, but since you are the overall leader, you must take responsibility of any failure happening on your watch. But you redeemed yourself by the rescue conducted. But that proves that your leadership isn't all sunshine as you claim, ain't it?_

_But you're wrong. I am serious about my challenge to you, Little Miss Utonium, and this is not me trying to achieve some kind of deal. I want to be the leader of this alliance, because I deserve to be and you don't! Now, I reiterate my challenge of an election to determine who'll be the leader. And you'll make the rules regarding the election._

_Unless of course you're yellow, and you're too afraid to lose, you're going to accept my challenge. I know you're no coward, and you will accept it."_

_Brick Edwards_

'I'm no coward! So if he thinks I'm too yellow to risk my leadership, then he's wrong!' Blossom fumed.

"Blossom, it's late! Go to sleep!" the Professor shouted.

"Yeah, turn off the computer," Bubbles said and get some sleep.

"Just a minute, girls, Professor," Blossom said. She then quibbled a quick reply.

_Brick_

_I can't make a long reply, so here's what I'm proposing._

_We'll meet tomorrow at school and discuss this._

_That's all._

_BTW, I'm not ugly, you jerk!_

_Bloss. Utonium_

The next day, December 2, at recess on school…

Brick and Blossom engaged in a private conversation at some corner of the school while the rest of the boys and girls played on the playground at school.

"Okay Brick, I received your email last night," Blossom remarked. "That was pretty preposterous, ludicrous, and outrageous!"

"Ain't it great?" Brick replied, smirking. "Well, I repeat my demand that you hold an election for the leadership of his alliance!"

"Don't be stupid," Blossom replied. "You can't win a contest against me!"

"And why not?"

"Because there's no reason why you should replace me?"

"Really?" Brick replied.

"Yes. You see, I have been very successful, and such, I am a great leader, and therefore, deserve to remain a leader!"

"Well, since you think you are so great," Brick remarked, "then you should quit while you're ahead. I mean you don't want to tarnish your reputation for greatness if something goes wrong, do you?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Blossom scoffed. "Is that the best you can offer? Listen, I want to be the leader of this alliance, and I will remain the leader, and nothing you say and do will make me quit! Now, what have you to say to that?"

"Well, I have a very good reason why you should be replaced," Brick asserted.

"What?" asked Blossom.

"You're ugly!"

"I AM NOT UGLY, Brick Edwards! I am very beautiful, thank you very much! And I have very beautiful hair, if you didn't notice! And even if I am ugly, which I'm not, so what? What does it have to do with being a leader?"

"Well, maybe your looks are so hideous that it would scare away all potential followers!" Brick teased, then laughed.

"BRICK, YOU'RE THE ONE TO TALK, YOU BIG FAT JERK!" Blossom shouted. "My looks are NOT hideous!"

"Well, you certainly went overboard there," Brick replied.

"Well, don't call me ugly again!" Blossom shouted, grabbing the collar of his shirt, and glaring angrily at him, "or you'll pay!"

"Okay, okay," Brick replied, but with fingers crossed behind him. He always enjoyed teasing Blossom by calling her ugly. Although he knew she's not ugly, and even admits she's quite beautiful for her age, he was a six-year-old boy who can't stand the idea of romantic love. Besides, Blossom was his rival, and he won't give her the satisfaction of complimenting her vanity. And it's fun to try to get under Blossom's skin. It is the only thing that would push her buttons as far as he knows. "Anyway, since you think you're so great a leader, then you'd be willing to hold an election for your position. Because if you really are as great as you believe, then you'd win the election."

Blossom then released her grip from Brick. "Well, if that is what you want, then you'll get it! If only to shut you up and prove once and for all the uselessness and the folly of trying to replace me! You'll get your election, but prepare your concession speech, for you'll surely lose."

"Thanks," Brick could only say, not believing his luck.

"And you mentioned in your email something of me creating the rules for this election?"

"Yup!"

"Well, here are my rules. First, every member of the Ruff-Puff Alliance will have one vote. They, in front of a third party, someone like Mike Believe, would verbally say who would they choose as leader. The one with the most votes win. The third party will announce the winner."

"Sounds fair to me!" Brick replied.

"If the vote is tied, or a draw, or are equal," Blossom continued, "the incumbent leader, or in that case, me, wins and continues to be the leader."

Blossom then looked at Brick.

"Well, that sounds fair to me!" he replied.

Blossom smiled at Brick's words. 'This election is in the bag!'

"And the losing candidate shall always follow the orders of the winner no matter what, even if he or she thinks that the winner's orders are wrong! The winner shall be an absolute leader, and all decision making shall be in the leader's hands!"

"I agree with it," Brick said.

"And the loser shall bow down with his head on the ground to praise the new leader after the election," Blossom added.

"I agree with it too!"

"And the loser shall refrain from calling the winner ugly or horrible looking!"

"Hey, I object! Every creature on this planet should be able to exercise their God-given right to call Blossom Utonium an ugly girl!" Brick teased.

"Don't push it, Brick!" Blossom said, glaring dangerously at her rival. "I am not ugly! And every creature on this planet should be able to exercise their God-given right to call W. Bricker Edwards a big fat jerk!"

"Whatever!" Brick replied, dismissing it. "You obviously are deluded."

"Okay, so let's continue. The winner would have the right to command the loser's siblings without going through the loser, and the loser shall order his or her siblings that they would automatically follow the winner without going through the loser."

"Okay!"

"The loser will wear the clothes of the winner for one whole day!"

"Well, okay, though I don't see how punishing it is for a girl to wear boys' clothes," Brick remarked.

Blossom ignored Brick's last remark, giggling to herself. 'Oh this would be fun.' "The loser shall style his or her hair so that it would look exactly like that of the winner's hairdo for six months!"

"Agreed. But I thought you loved your hair? I never thought you'd want to cut it!" Brick replied.

"Nope, it means that you'll grow you hair until it is as long as mine, and wear a bow to boot!"

"You wish! You'll be the one who'll be wearing a cap!"

"Anyway," Blossom said, "the loser will have to wear a big sign around his or her neck with a large picture of the winner and with the words in big bold letter, 'What a great leader she is!' and tell to all you meet for one whole week what a great leader the winner is."

"Sounds fair to me!" Brick said, chuckling to himself.

"And the loser shall pay the winner one dollar every week for one year," Blossom continued.

"Agreed!"

"And the loser shall return all books, comics and stuff that was procured from the winner by deals in the previous weeks," Blossom said.

"Okay!"

"And the loser shall be tied-up and tickled for as long as the winner would want to," Blossom stipulated.

"And I agree to it too," Brick replied, with a smirk on his face.

"Do you still want to conduct this election? After hearing my rules and terms for it?"

"There's no reason not to," Brick replied. "It would be amusing to see you make a fool of yourself once you lose!"

"Oh come on! You'll surely loose!" Blossom asserted. "I mean, think about it! If you go through with this, you'd be humiliated and you'd gain nothing! While if not, then you'd still be in the same position as before, but without the tickle-torture and the humiliation of losing!"

"And can you tell me why I can't win, aside from the tired old argument that there's no real reason to replace you, oh so great leader?"

"Okay. So you won't believe me? Then believe this. You have the votes of Boomer, Butch, and yourself. That's three. I have the votes of Buttercup, Bubbles and myself, that's three. Three and three is a draw, and according to the rules I just gave, then I, as the incumbent, or sitting leader, would win, and you'd lose, and you have to abide by the rules," Blossom explained. "And you'd never persuade Bubbles and Buttercup to vote for you!"

"We'll see! I still insist on it, on your rules of course," Brick said with confidence and swagger.

"It's your loss," Blossom said.

"We'll see. By the way, I have a hidden tape recorder, so I have all the rules recorded in case we forget it. And I'll type it tonight and we can all sign it and make it all formal."

"You're nuts!" Blossom said.

"And I'm proud of it, damnit!" Brick said.

"Whatever. The election will be held tomorrow afternoon after school."

"Okay!"

Brick rejoined his brothers, who were eating their snacks.

"What happened?" asked Butch.

"Blossom had just walked into my trap!" Brick said with relish. "And she just dug her own grave deeper by her ridiculous terms!"

Butch munched on his chips before looking at Brick. "I'm not following you, Brick? What the heck is going on?"

But the bell rang, and Brick wasn't able to tell them what really was going on.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom joined her sisters, who were playing with their friends.

"So, what are you and Brick doing, alone, together?" Robyn Snider asked suggestively.

Blossom noticed the look of her female friends. "Oh it's not what you're thinking. Besides, I don't like him at all. We're just discussing business."

"What kind of business?" asked Robyn, who didn't believe Blossom.

"Well, we discussed something about the leadership of the Ruff-Puff Alliance," replied Blossom.

"Really? It seems that you were doing something else!"

"Oh pshaw! Brick wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole! He actually thinks I'm ugly, even though I think I'm not!" Blossom replied.

"I can vouch for that," Buttercup added in defense of Blossom. "Those two are like cats and dogs, and they always fight against each other."

"Aww," Robyn said, disappointed.

"Looks like Brick's lost his marbles," Blossom remarked, giggling and laughing.

"What do you mean?" asked Bubbles.

"He's basically set himself up for humiliation," Blossom said, laughing. "I mean I thought he was smart and clever, but it seems he lost all his senses today!"

Blossom then told Bubbles, Buttercup and Robyn what she and Brick discussed. Soon, Buttercup, Robyn and Bubbles were laughing with Blossom at the ridiculous terms she and Brick agreed to do.

* * *

That afternoon…

"Blossom, Brick, there's a monster attack at the beach!" Dr. Edwards sounded over the kids' watches. "And I think this monster is a tough nut to crack, so I advice you bring an extra member."

"Mr. Carlisle, could we go?"

Mr. Carlisle, their English teacher, nodded. "Sure! Good luck! Just make sure you whip them good!"

"We'll do!" Blossom replied. "Brick, Buttercup, it's your turn, but since Dr. Edwards said to bring one extra member along, I'll go along!"

"Yeah, whatever!" Buttercup said as she and Brick and Blossom flew out to the beach, where all monsters who attacked Townsville originated.

"I don't know, but why did the Doctor needed one more? I mean these so-called monsters who attacked us since that crackpot Ckracknow was defeated are now a joke! I mean a few days ago, I defeated one of them by just tapping my pinky finger on it!" Buttercup ranted.

The monster is a giant crab. It looked and acted like a giant crab. It had six legs, and had two giant claws in front. It was bright orange, and was attacking the building on the beach. The beach had already been long evacuated.

"Hey, let's catch it and bring it home! I'm in mind for some steamed crab for dinner!" Brick said with relish, the thought of a crab dinner salivating his mouth.

"Na ah! That crab will go home with me! I want to eat that crab!" Buttercup declared.

Brick looked at Buttercup. "No, I want that—"

"Will you two shut up arguing about who'll eat that crab! You still have to defeat it!" Blossom shouted at the two.

"Oh don't be a party pooper!" Buttercup replied. "That crab is as good as dead!"

Brick turned his attention to the giant crab. It was advancing on the city. After observing the monster for a few seconds, he concluded that his father was mistaken on the strength of the monster. It was far weaker than everyone thought, at least it was in his opinion. "Blossom, I think you should send me down there. That monster is weak, and a single punch in the gut should finish it off."

But Blossom, also observing the monster, came to a different conclusion. "No, I think that monster is as strong as Dr. Edwards say it is. Just look at it. Its skin is tough, and it looked like it could be as tough as duranium. Remember the various monster we fought that had a tough hide?"

"Like the one you used to beat us up because you thought we were evil?"

"Yes," Blossom replied, "and the monster Ckracknow sent! So I think…"

"Will you two shut your traps!" Buttercup shouted at the two. "Let's kick ass!"

The monster was already advancing into the city and people were stampeding to get out of its way.

Blossom pointed to a long metal pole standing in the beach. "Buttercup, get that pole over there and hit the crab with it!" Blossom ordered. "Be careful, we don't know how strong the monster is!" She was expecting the pole only to annoy the monster but not to do any harm to it.

"Got you!" Buttercup said, eager for action. She quickly snapped the pole and hit the giant crab like a golf ball.

Then disaster struck.

Brick was right as both Dr. Edwards and Blossom overestimated the strength of the crab. The crab died on impact from the pole, but like a golf ball, it flew at a rapid speed toward the city.

The dead monster struck some skyscrapers. Fortunately, the buildings were by now evacuated, but there were many people below who were watching the fight between the three and the crab.

"Buttercup, Brick, go save those people," Blossom instructed, as she, Brick, and Buttercup went to do as she ordered. Fortunately, they were so much faster than before that it only took five seconds to save all the people. But it was a close call with only a fraction of a second to spare. But millions of dollars of property were lost.

"You idiot!" shouted Brick to Blossom. "You just ordered your sister to throw that monster at those buildings!"

Blossom was furious at Buttercup because she thought Buttercup bungled her order. "No I didn't! Buttercup messed up my order by hitting the crab too hard and in the wrong direction!"

Buttercup was equally enraged at her sister for blaming her because she blamed Blossom for the near disaster for ordering her to hit the crab with a pole. "What? You ordered me to do that! So it's your fault, Blossom! You should've ordered me to beat up that monster, instead of hitting it with a pole, so it's your fault!"

"Well, you hit it too hard! And besides, you hit it toward the city instead of towards the city, I mean the sea, so it's your fault!"

"It's your fault! You can't admit a mistake because you're little Miss Perfect and you're so great a leader that you can't make a bad decision!"

"Oh shut up, Buttercup," Blossom stopped.

"No you shut up!"

"Shut up!"

"Quiet!"

"And you can't admit you can't fight a monster properly! You acted reckless with little regards to strategy!"

"Strategy smadegy! I am sick of your leadership, Blossom!"

"And I am tired of your insubordination!" Blossom shouted. "You are reckless, hasty, out-of-control, wild and rash! You are all brawn and no brain!"

"And you are all brain and no common sense!" Buttercup snapped back. "And your head is has become bigger than the country of Russia!"

"Oh shut up! It's your fault, and I demand you apologize for messing up, you clod!"

"No, you apologize, Blossom, for messing up, you prick!"

"Apologize! I order you to!" Blossom

"And if I don't?" demanded Buttercup.

Blossom stared at the eyes of her sister. "Then I'll have you tied-up and tickled for insubordination. I've done it before and I can do it again."

Buttercup stared back at Blossom, glaring angrily at her. Finally, after a staring contest, she capitulated. "Okay, I'm sorry!" Buttercup bitterly shouted at Blossom's face. The expression of her face, however, belied her words. "There, are you satisfied?"

She then took off towards school, bitter and angry towards her sister.

Blossom just shook her head at what she saw. "This isn't the first time that happened," she said, in a serious if somehow triumphant tone to Brick. "She'll come around when she realized how wrong she was." She then took off towards school without saying another word.

Brick just watched the entire scene. Though he personally thought Blossom was at fault for ignoring his warning, that doesn't matter now. What matters was that Buttercup was bitter at Blossom at that moment, and tomorrow was the election. 'You just nailed the final nail in your coffin Blossom. You may be right, but it was definitely not good politics to have a spat with your sister one day before the election.'

Elated at the turn of events, Brick took the body of the giant crab, dumped it at the hands of his father at home, and went back to school.


	23. Wheeling and Dealing

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 23**

**Wheeling and Dealing**

The City of Townsville, and on the afternoon of December 2, Buttercup and Blossom had a spat regarding who was really at fault for messing up what was suppose to be an easy fight and nearly getting a lot of people killed in the process. To complicate matters, Brick had a challenge that resulted in an election to be held on the afternoon on December 3

Blossom thus made two mistakes that increased the chances of her being dethroned.

First, she accepted Brick's challenge. She could easily have refused, and Brick won't be able to do anything about it, but she accepted on the premise that she would be able to rig the rules in her favor, which to her surprise, Brick fully accepted.

If all goes according to Blossom's plan, Buttercup, Bubbles and she will vote for herself, while Brick, Butch and Boomer will vote for the red ruff. Thus, there would be a tie, and according to the rules, the current leader, Blossom, would win the election.

But then, she made her second mistake. She had a fight with Buttercup. Granted, she might had good reason, but that was not the point. They always had spats, and they normally make up after a few days. The point is, she just lost the certainty of Buttercup voting for her the next day, and as a result, she might lose. And because of her deal with Brick, she would be humiliated in the extreme.

And Brick wasn't done with his scheming yet.

Blossom and Buttercup did not talk for the rest of the afternoon. The leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance was smug over her victory, both over the crab, and over Buttercup in the argument, and is looking forward to winning the next day over Brick. 'Ha, after his humiliation tomorrow, he'll never again challenge me for the leadership!' she thought. 'Ha, good thing Brick thought about that tickling as punishment! That's one thing I know I'll do to him after this is all over!'

Buttercup was angry at Blossom.

Brick is doing some thinking of his own. 'Ah, Blossom, you just made my work easier. Now, I wouldn't have to work harder to win the election.'

* * *

After school...

Blossom and Buttercup went straight for home when school was over, not talking to each other at all.

"Blossom! Buttercup! You two looked liked you had just gone to a funeral! A corpse looked more cheerful than both of you!" the Professor observed when he saw his two daughters.

Blossom's frown quickly turned into a smirk. "Well, Buttercup again showed her recklessness when she endangered the lives of the people. Luckily, quick action on my part saved them all. Well, it's over since Buttercup apologized for her mishap? Didn't you Buttercup?"

"The only reason I apologized is because you threatened me with tickling!" Buttercup grumbled.

"What's that Buttercup?" asked the Professor.

"Nothing," Buttercup quickly said, looking at a smirking Blossom. 'Oh, what I'd do to wipe that smirk off her face. Ever since she became leader of the Rowdyruff Boys as well as Bubbles and me her head has swollen to biblical proportions.' Without a word, she went quickly to her room.

"What the matter with her?" asked a curious Professor.

"I guess she still feels bad about it," Blossom quickly replied. "But she'll come around. She always does."

* * *

Meanwhile...

Bubbles, according to the deal she made with Brick three months before, went home with them to help clean the house. In exchange the boys would have to play with her and be friends with them. And the deal yielded tremendous dividends for both parties. The boys had considerable help in doing their household chores, while Bubbles not only became close friends with Boomer, but curiously, also with Brick, and gained the tolerance, if not the friendship, of Butch. Consequently, she was the most popular Powerpuff among the boys.

During that afternoon, there wasn't too much chores to be done. Brick froze the giant crab to preserve it, while the house was clean enough that it only took ten minutes to do all chores.

"Hey, Bubbles, I bet I can beat you at the play station! You were only lucky yesterday, that's why you won!" Boomer boasted.

"Well, I don't know. Let's play something different!" Bubbles requested.

"What?" Brick asked, looking at both of them from a couch, reading one of the comic books he had earlier purchased from Blossom.

"Let's play house!" Bubbles proposed.

"Huh? What's that?"

"Well, we can pretend to be a family! I can be the mommy, Boomer can play Daddy, while Brick can be the baby!" Bubbles said.

"What, no way I am going to play house! It's for girls and I'm a boy!" Boomer declared.

"And I'm not playing baby!" Brick snapped.

"Well, what do you want to play that we haven't played in the past three months?" Bubbles asked.

"Video games?" Boomer proposed.

"We've been playing video games of all kinds for the past month."

"Wrestling?" proposed Brick.

"Done that two months ago!"

"Race car?" Boomer asked.

"Done that a week ago!"

"War?" Brick asked.

"Done that yesterday!"

"Chess!" Brick asked.

"It's boring, and I'm not too good at it. Besides, we did it three months go!"

"Pirates?" Brick asked.

"Done that!"

"Hide and seek?" Boomer requested.

"Done that lots of times!"

"Toy soldiers?" Boomer again requested.

"Well, we did that the other day!"

"Well..."

"Oh come on, I promise you house is fun!" Bubbles said. "Please, Boomer. I always played your games for the past three months, now let's play what I like! Besides, boys can also play house, not only girls!"

Bubbles then tried a true and tested method of getting Boomer do what she wants. She went too close to Boomer, at least in the blue ruff's opinion, and batted her eyes. "If you don't, I'll kiss you!"

Boomer got nervous. He doesn't like being kissed by a girl. "Brick, get me out of this! I don't want to get cooties!"

But Brick is too busy laughing at Boomer to help him out.

Finally, an outfoxed Boomer gave in. "Okay, you win!" Suddenly, he found a way out. "But only if Brick agreed."

Brick was a tougher nut to crack than Boomer for Bubbles. "Brick?" she asked.

"Well, I might, but you have to do something for me," Brick slyly said.

"Please!" Bubbles asked, trying to sweet talk Brick.

Like before, it didn't work. "Well, I might, but you owe me, and I'd like to ask something in return!"

Bubbles gave up. "So what is it you want?" she asked, thinking not much of it. "You want to play another game after playing house?"

Brick smirked. "No, no. I'll tell you after we play! Okay, we can play it, but I ain't gonna play the baby!"

"Well, okay, but who can play it?" Bubbles asked.

"I know! Butch!" Boomer said.

"I don't think Butch would like to play the baby," Bubbles replied.

"Don't worry," Brick said. "I'll take care of him. Just wait."

Brick then went to their room, where Butch was taking a nap. Ten minutes later, he came back with a grumbling Butch. Boomer and Bubbles were chatting, or more like Bubbles was babbling while Boomer was pretending to listen.

"Well?" asked Bubbles.

"It took some convincing, threats, jawboning, and arm-twisting, but he finally agreed to be your baby!"

"You two are disgusting for letting yourselves be controlled by a girl," grumbled Butch. "Yeah, yeah, I agreed to be the baby, but only because you forced me too, Brick, so let's get it over with!"

"Okay! Boomer and I are the Mommy and Daddy, while Butch is our baby. We are going on a visit to our neighbor, Brick..." and Bubbles explained how they would play.

Basically, Bubbles enjoyed it the most, with the Brick and Boomer primarily enjoying poking fun at Butch while playing their characters. They got a giant carriage from the basement, and put Butch in there. They also put a baby cap on him and forced him to wear a pacifier on his mouth and he had to act baby like. Butch was annoyed, unhappy and embarrassed, but Brick and Boomer and Bubbles easily kept him in line. Brick, Boomer and Bubbles wore mini-adult clothes, though they had difficulty finding something for Bubbles because only boys lived in the Edwards house.

* * *

Two hours later...

They had just finished playing, and had slid down to their usual clothes, but not before Brick was able to snap a photograph of Butch in baby clothes for future purposes of teasing and blackmail. All in all, all of them except Butch of course had fun, even while the boys said it was the last time they would play a 'girly' game with Bubbles.

Boomer was packing his toys up while Butch further grumbled, tossing expletives at his brothers. He didn't enjoy it at all. Brick was reading a book in the living room, when Bubbles, who was about to leave, approached him.

"Hey, Brick, what favor do you want?" asked Bubbles. "Thanks for letting me play it. It was fun!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Brick wryly replied. "Anyway, I wonder, because tomorrow's the election, if you would like to vote for me?"

"Oh Brick, I'd love to..." Bubbles said.

"Really?" Brick asked with hope.

"If only Blossom wasn't a candidate, I would, but since she is, I'll vote for her," Bubbles replied.

Brick was disappointed. "Well, I guess so," he merely said. 'All that hard work for nothing,' he thought.

Bubbles saw the disappointed look at Brick's face. "Don't take this the wrong way, Brick. You and Boomer have been very good to me ever since Dr. Edwards resurrected you, even before Blossom apologized for using those monsters. I always wanted to be friends with you once I realized you were not that evil. I thought it would be difficult, but you made it easier for me Brick. And I appreciate it. And I enjoyed being friends with you and Boomer very much! Pity that I haven't become much better friends with Butch."

"That doesn't surprise me!" Brick replied. "Butch is probably the most unfriendly boy I have ever met!"

"Well, he isn't that bad," Bubbles countered. "At least he doesn't hate me anymore like before!"

Boomer, at that point, joined the three. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing much," Brick replied. "Now, if you could only talk her into voting for me tomorrow?"

"Yeah Bubbles, why don't you vote for Brick?" Boomer urged. "I know I am going to vote for him!"

"Well, why are you voting for Brick?" Bubbles asked.

"Duh! He's my brother!" Boomer replied as if that is the most obvious thing in the world.

"And duh! Blossom is my sister!" Bubbles countered.

"Well, if you put it that way, then it makes sense for you to vote for Blossom!" Boomer replied.

"How about I give Boomer to you if you vote for me?" Brick proposed in jest.

"Hey!" Boomer protested.

She giggled at the suggestion. "Nah! I already have Boomer wrapped around my fingers," Bubbles replied.

"I resent that! I am not wrapped around anybody's finger!" Boomer declared.

Both Bubbles and Brick ignored him.

"Anything you want that would make you vote for me?"

"Nope! You guys know that I'd never betray my sisters, especially Blossom. You've been good and kind to me, but whatever you did, Blossom did ten times, no a hundred times better ever since the Professor created us. No guys, I owe Blossom much more than I owe you, and I'd still choose her over you. But that doesn't mean I don't like both of you! I do!"

"Well, you certainly are loyal to Blossom," Brick replied.

"Yeah, to someone who doesn't deserve it," Boomer sneered.

Bubbles suddenly got very angry, and grabbed Boomer by the collar. "James Boomer Edwards, Blossom deserves it! She took care of us, she saved us lots of times, and she led us to victory many many times. She is a great sister, and you won't badmouth her again in front of me, understand?"

Boomer was terrified at Bubbles' sudden change of attitude. "I'm sorry, I promise I won't badmouth her again in front of you!" he quickly apologized. 'But that doesn't mean I can't badmouth her when you're not around.'

Bubbles's expression changed back to cheerful. "It's okay. I understand! I forgive you. But you really should get to know Blossom. If you do, I'm sure you'll like her! I know Brick really likes her!"

"I do not like her!" Brick protested.

"But you don't dislike her either," Bubbles said.

"No I don't," Brick replied. "Then again, she's too like me for me to dislike her, but for the same reason, I don't like her too!"

"I'm still waiting for the favor!" Bubbles suddenly said. "Just nothing that would make me betray my sisters!"

"Well, how about this. If I do win tomorrow's election, would you follow my leadership and show to me the same loyalty you did Blossom when she was the leader?"

"Brick, you don't need to ask me to! Of course I will!" Bubbles replied. "You can rely on me to follow your orders, as Blossom can of mine, as long as they're not evil! If you win the election of course! I think Blossom's got it in the bag!"

"Well, stranger things do happen!" Brick replied. "Thanks!"

"Brick, could you do me a favor?" asked Bubbles.

"What now?"

"Well, if you do win, could you not make Blossom do some of those embarrassing and humiliating terms you two agreed on?" Bubbles requested.

"I don't know," Brick replied. "She was the one who gave those terms. She wanted it, so she should pay in full if she lost."

"Yeah! She should be able to take what she can dish out!" Boomer seconded. "When Blossom loses, she should be able to take what she intend to dish out to Brick!"

"Well, she didn't expect to lose," Bubbles continued.

"And she meant to humiliate me! Really Bubbles, why should I be more lenient to her when she obviously will be harsh to me if I lose?" Brick queried.

Bubbles began to think. It was true that Blossom was the one who made those terms. Then an idea hit Bubbles in the noggin. "What if I make Blossom take back those terms? Would you also do the same?"

Brick looked at Bubbles with skepticism. "Now why should I believe you can persuade your sister to change her mind?"

"I can try," Bubbles insisted.

"Well, tell you what. If you can do that, then I'll think about it, but I won't make guarantees," Brick replied.

"Really?" Bubbles asked.

"Don't bet the farm on it, Bubbles," Brick replied. "I said, might, not will!"

"Thanks anyway!" Bubbles exclaimed as she pecked both Boomer and Brick in the cheek before galloping away home.

Boomer was blushing, while Brick just wiped it.

Butch was standing at the top of the stairs observing it all.

"That was disgusting," the black haired boy said. "Letting yourselves be pushed around by a girl, and by Bubbles to boot! Boomer I can understand, but you Brick, our great and mighty leader? Where the hell is your pride?—the pride that allowed us to beat the snot out of those damn girls twice?—the pride that made Dad proud? I still respect you, Brick, and I'll do anything you tell me to and I'll go anywhere you tell me to, but damnit, I'm sick and tired of you following the redheaded girl like a slave! Like a lapdog! You're a guy! I am! We know we're better than those girls, yet you let them push us around? What's up with that? Look at me! I never let that black haired girl push me around, like Blossom pushes you or Bubbles pushes Boomer around! I wish I can be the leader, then I'd end the alliance! It shouldn't have been made in the first place."

"Are you finished?" asked Brick, looking his brother squarely in the eye.

"Not yet," the proudest of the Rowdyruffs replied. "Ever since you made the alliance, you were like a dog responding to the very call of your master, Blossom! You never directly disobeyed a single order of her when it comes to matters of the alliance! You forced us to follow her even if Boomer and I hated her. Maybe you forget, but we certainly don't, that she made that monster alliance! Just because you're not at the receiving end of those attacks doesn't mean you can just ignore it! Before, all of us are tough, proud and manly, now we're weak and sissies because we let ourselves be controlled by those girls! Dad said we must always be proud, and look at where you've taken us!"

"Are you done?" asked Brick.

Butch nodded.

Brick's expression was grim as he looked as he listened to Butch's passionate arguments. To him it made a lot of sense emotionally. But he thinks Butch just doesn't understand why he's doing what he's doing. "Look Butch, we've been through this before. Now, don't accuse me as enjoying following Blossom's order. I hate every minute of obeying her orders, because I'm also proud, and don't like obeying orders from anybody but from Dad. I'm proud too you know, Butch. You're not the only one with pride. Yes, Butch, I know the importance of pride for a Rowdyruff! But unlike you, I know when to swallow it, and when to flaunt it for the greater good of your pride. Every time I swallow my pride, like when I obey orders from Blossom that I violently disagree with, I do it with the objective of retaking it ten times in time. No, Butch, if I did what you proposed, I wouldn't get far, and my pride would be further crushed because it would be with less substance than if I did what I did."

Brick continued, this time speaking as passionately as Butch did before him. "As for Blossom, I don't hate her, like you and Boomer do. I also don't like her. But I respect her and admire her, because she is a damned great leader, and even you can't deny that. As for the monster alliance, I don't give a damn about it, since it's over, ancient history. She apologized, and that's about it! We can't just dwell on the past, Butch. We gotta think about the future!"

"I think you just like her! You got a crush on her, Brick?" Boomer suddenly asked.

"Boomer, don't ask dumb questions! I do not have a crush on that girl—Blossom! She's just an ally and a rival, nothing more, nothing less! Anything I do for her, anything we might have done together is just for the advantages I might get! I don't like her the way you like Bubbles, Boomer!" Brick declared. "Butch, let me tell you this. I might seem to be a slavish ass-kisser to her, but remember this. I know what I want, and I know exactly how to get it!"

"So what do you want?" asked Boomer.

"I want power! I want to be the absolute leader of not only the Rowdyruff Boys, but also of the Powerpuff Girls! All of my actions in the past three months have been dedicated to achieving that goal!"

"Phooey! That's just a lame excuse to cover up your slavishness to Blossom," Butch accused. "It's been three months, for crying out loud! What the heck is it you're up to?"

"You mean you don't know? Tomorrow is the date for the election of the leadership if this alliance. Tomorrow is where all my plans and schemes for the past three months would come to head!" Brick declared. "Dad would be proud when I'll win it and I'll become the leader. So I want you to vote for me."

Butch was surprised. "Tomorrow? You'll be the leader? And that girl wouldn't give orders to you and me and Boomer anymore?"

Then he was silent for a few seconds as the words of Brick sunk into his brain. "You mean tomorrow, you wouldn't take orders from Blossom anymore?" asked Butch.

"Yup! Instead, you can have the pleasure of seeing Blossom taking orders from me!" Brick replied, smirking and folding his arms.

"Are you sure?" Butch asked.

"Sure as hell! Tomorrow, I'll be the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance!"

"Well, I'll be damned! I never thought you would, well, let's just wait for tomorrow, shall we?" Butch asked. "Then we'll celebrate! By the way, that's the last time I'm going to play the baby!"

* * *

In the meantime...

Bubbles had just returned from the house of the Rowdyruff Boys, happy and singing a happy tune.

"How was your playtime with the boys?" asked Blossom, who greeted her at the door.

"Well, it was fun!"

"What did you play? Race car, wrestling? Hide and seek?" asked Blossom as both flew to their room.

"Nah, we played house!" Bubbles asserted. "I played Mommy, while Boomer played Daddy, while Butch played the baby, and Brick played the neighbor..."

"What? Butch played the baby?" Blossom shouted, then after a few minutes, she laughed at the floor. "How were you able get him to do that?"

"Well, Boomer was easy to persuade. Brick was a little tough to crack, but I made a deal with him, and so..."

"Deal? What kind of deal?" asked Blossom. Blossom knew Brick is an expert wheeler-dealer and could easily have pulled one over on Bubbles.

Bubbles wondered to tell Blossom that he asked her to vote for Brick instead of Blossom. She decided not to as it would make her job harder. "Nothing important," Bubbles replied. "Anyway, Brick then made Butch play the baby! That was so funny!"

"Glad you had fun! Gosh, I don't know how you do it, but I think you can control those boys better than I could ever do!" Blossom complimented.

"Well, I was just being nice to them, and I think they are being nice to me too!" Bubbles replied. "Um Blossom, could you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, Bubbles," Blossom said.

"Well, could you, um, not make Brick do all those things you agreed to if he lost? Not all, but only those that I think would be too humiliating? I mean if you forced him to do those things, wouldn't his feelings be hurt, and you'd be able to command him harder than before?"

"Well, Bubbles, I'd like to, but I can't. The deal is made, and to back out would make me look like a chicken," Blossom explained.

"But why'd you make those terms?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, Brick told me I can make the rules, so I decided to stack it against him and make Brick never forget this defeat," Blossom said. "Basically, I want him to learn the futility of challenging me. Frankly, I'm tired of him always telling me he can replace me, and I hope this experience would teach him a lesson."

"Well Blossom, I don't know," Bubbles said, concerned. "If you win..."

"Correction. Not if I win, that should be when I win," Blossom interrupted.

"Okay. When you win, and make him do those things, don't you think it might strain our relationship with the boys?" asked Bubbles.

"No," Blossom replied. "Look, I consider Brick as a friend, an ally, and yes, a rival. He is a good, yes, great second-in-command. And he is a very competent leader, and I have no doubt that the alliance is in very competent hands if he was in charge. I respect him, and yes, in some ways, admire him too. But he challenged me for the position, told me I can make the rules, and he accepted those. Now, he made a challenge, and he must accept the consequences of his decision. Otherwise, he can just make idle threats to get whatever he wants!"

"Well, what if Brick said he wouldn't make you do those things, would you not also make him do those embarrassing things?"

"Brick, call off the deal about the punishments of the loser? Ha, Inert gases would bond with other elements to form a compound before that would happen!"

"What's an inert gas?" asked Bubbles.

"Oh, their elements with eight electrons that...", however, Blossom saw that Bubbles had no idea what she was talking about. "Nevermind. Let me rephrase that. Ha, Mojo Jojo would speak laconically before Brick would let that happen!"

"Blossom, what does laconically means?" asked Bubbles.

"It means to speak briefly, and without wasting any words," Blossom explained.

"Oh, I get it!"

"Anyway, Brick thinks he can win, so why would he cancel the most humiliating of punishments? I think in his mind he's imagining enjoying me bowing to him, or wearing boyish clothes, or God forbid, cut off my hair, or tying me up and tickling me like I did to Buttercup and Boomer? No, he won't have that satisfaction!"

"But what if he does?" Bubbles countered. "Since you're so smart, then you'd also do it? I mean not make Brick do those things if Brick also agreed?"

"Well, in the unlikely event that he agreed to, I might think about it," Blossom evasively replied. "I might consider it. Happy?"

"Promise?"

"I promise!"

"Well Blossom, since you put it that way, then you'll cancel those embarrassing terms if you win!"

"But Bubbles, I only promised it if Brick did it first!"

"Well, Brick already did. I was able to talk him into it when I was there. It was hard, but I finally did it!"

Blossom could not believe her ears. "What, the proud, overconfident and arrogant William Bricker Edwards actually agreed to drop those humiliating terms if for some inexplicable reason he wins tomorrow's election?"

Bubbles only nodded with a smile on her face.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle! Well, stranger things has happened in Townsville," Blossom wondered. "How did you get him to do it?"

"Well, I just..." Bubbles then was silent for a few seconds, thinking. "Well, I kinda forgot!" she finally said, scratching her head and grinning.

Blossom was left wondering how Bubbles did it.

"So are you gonna cancel the embarrassing terms and keep your promise?"

"Well, I said I might. Now that he did it, I'll think about it, but I can't promise you anything. I might cancel it, I might not, we'll see! Though I promise to think about not humiliating him totally tomorrow!" Blossom finally and evasively said, though in truth, she was faced with a dilemma. She wanted to punish Brick for his audacity, yet because of Bubbles, he backed out of it—not from the election itself, but on the punishment. 'Why did you have to interfere and ruin my plans, Bubbles? I want to punish him, but now I can't do that without looking like a mean spirited girl! Before, Brick agreed to it too, so it won't be seen as mean spirited, but now...?' she thought.

Later, at seven in the evening...

They had just finished eating supper and it was Buttercup's turn to wash the dishes. Buttercup grumbled, trying to make a lame excuse not to, but the Professor didn't bite. Blossom fixed the rest of the kitchen, while it was Bubbles' turn not to do any chores that night after dinner.

The Professor went back to his lab to finish a paper. Bubbles then made her move.

With everyone else busy, she stealthily went for the phone in the living room downstairs. She dialled some numbers on it and waited for someone to pick up the phone on the other side.

"Hello, Dr. Edwards speaking."

"Um, hello Doctor, could I talk to Brick?" asked Bubbles.

"Just a minute Bubbles," Dr. Edwards said. "Brick, someone's on the phone for you!" Bubbles heard the doctor shout.

A few seconds later...

"Who is this?" asked Brick in the phone.

"Hey Brick, it's me, Bubbles. Just wanted to tell you that Blossom sent me to tell you that she agreed not to make you do those embarrassing stuff in case you lose."

Brick couldn't believe his ears. "What?" he shouted in the phone. "She actually agreed to drop those?"

"Yup! It was hard, but I pleaded to her and she said she's not going to do it—the embarrassing punishments I mean!"

"You're not pulling my leg, Bubbles?" asked Brick in skepticism.

"Nope! So you're gonna not humiliate Blossom too if you won?"

"Well, what I promised is I might not do it. Well, since she dropped those punishments, I'll think about dropping it, but don't pin your hopes on it yet, Bubbles! It's not written in stone, you know," Brick replied.

"Well, thanks for thinking about it!" Bubbles said cheerily. "Gotta go!"

"Wait Bubbles, um could I talk to Buttercup right now?" Brick asked.

"Well, she can't. She's still washing the dishes," Bubbles replied.

"Can you tell her to call me as soon as she's finished? It's really important that I talk to her tonight!"

"Sure!"

"Just don't tell Blossom I wanted to talk to Buttercup. Thanks," Brick said before hanging up the phone.

Bubbles then gallivanted towards the kitchen where Buttercup had nearly completed washing the dishes. Blossom had already completed her chores a few minutes earlier and was now upstairs in her room studying for her lessons in school.

"Hey Buttercup, Brick wants to talk to you on the phone. Call him when you're done with the dishes," Bubbles said.

"What does that jerk want?" asked Buttercup.

"I don't know. He just told me to ask you if you could call him," Bubbles replied.

"I'm done now," Buttercup said as she put away the last plate into the rack. "I wonder why he wants me to call him?"

"Well, what better way to find out than asking him right now on the phone?"

"I'll do that," Buttercup said as she picked up the phone in the living room. Bubbles decided not to snoop on the conversation, and went upstairs to their room.

"Hello?" Brick answered.

"So what it is you want?" Buttercup immediately asked.

"Well, I've heard that you've got a spat with Blossom," Brick said.

"So what if we did?" asked Buttercup.

"Well, do you want to get back at Blossom? To teach her a lesson about arrogance?" Brick asked.

"Would I? That redhead had been acting like a peacock all night long! I want to wipe that smile off her face for once!" Buttercup bitterly replied. "She's been acting way too bossy recently and I'm sick of it!"

"Then here's your chance. Tomorrow's the election, and all you have to do is to ensure I win tomorrow, which you can do by voting for me instead of Blossom. Then she would lose, and won't be the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance anymore. Then, she won't be high and mighty around you anymore!"

"Hey, I might not like what she's done, and I might want to teach her a lesson but I ain't gonna betray Blossom!" Buttercup replied.

"Oh Buttercup, let me ask you a question. To whom will you betray Blossom to if you let her lose?"

"To you of course!"

"And am I a bad guy?"

"Well, you were once, but now, no, definitely not," Buttercup said.

"If you did vote for me, would Blossom be hurt?"

"Well, physically, no, but I think she might be disappointed," Buttercup said.

"Look, the only thing that would be hurt is Blossom's ego! Are you telling me that even what Blossom has said and done to you doesn't merit bursting her ego? The only thing that would be hurt is her pride and arrogance. Think about it. If you help oust her, then she would think twice about being mean to you in the future! The only thing that would happen is that she isn't anymore the leader! She won't be put in harm's way at all! Think about it! Besides, by clipping part of her pride, we're doing what is good for Blossom," Brick said.

Buttercup was silent for a few seconds. "Okay, you're convinced me that me voting for you is not a betrayal of Blossom, and that she deserves to be kicked out of being the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. She definitely needs something to check her ego, or her head might get too big it might explode! But why would I want to replace you with her? What makes you so special?"

"Well, I'm not Blossom," Brick replied. "And I'm the only available candidate who can defeat her in an election."

"True, that's a plus in your favor, but you're Brick, a Rowdyruff!" Buttercup shot back.

"And so?"

"Well, you were evil once! Why should I trust you to lead us?" Buttercup questioned.

"Oh ye of little faith! You mean after all we've been through, you still can't see me as a leader. Well, first, I saved your life when we were fighting Ckracknow on his island. If it weren't for me, you'd be in the bottom of the ocean right now. So you owe me, and I'm here to collect the favor! Then, I commanded you on the main battle against Two. You can't say I botched it up, did I? Plus, we were partners in the pairings system for the past three months?"

"Okay, okay, you win, I'll trust you with being the leader, but only because you've saved my life before and I owe you one, plus the fact that you've done nothing bad against me in the past three months."

"Okay, so here's the deal," Brick continued. "I'm willing to let you teach Blossom a lesson in humility, but you have to do me a favor?"

"What is it? Isn't voting for you favor enough?" Buttercup sarcastically replied.

"Well, what I want is, when I become leader, you would absolutely follow my commands and orders, even if you think they are wrong, unconditionally. In exchange, I promise that I won't blame you for any of the mishaps that might arise because of my orders!"

"Now just wait a cotton pickin' minute! Always obey your orders! That's too much! No, I won't accept it!" Buttercup firmly said on the phone.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to call off the election for tomorrow," Brick bluffed. "Pity, Blossom would be more arrogant than before, and she would probably get away with blaming you more. Well, if you don't want to teach Blossom a lesson, if you don't want to get back at her, if you want her ego to be even larger, well, that's your choice."

"But it's you who want to be leader?" Buttercup said.

"Oh I've been under Blossom for the past three months. I can stand following her orders for the next few years," Brick replied. "Look, I'm doing you a favor. I don't want to be the leader that bad. I'm only offering you a chance at justice, at a chance to teach Blossom a lesson. If you don't want to accept my terms, then Blossom will get away with this. But if I am to be the leader, I won't have my hands tied behind my back so I demand absolute power in exchange for it! Well, if that's what you want, bye!"

"Wait, Brick," Buttercup suddenly said.

"What?"

"Okay, I changed my mind. You can have your absolute power, and I'll obey your orders even if I don't like it, but only on matters pertaining to the alliance and saving the day! You won't control my personal life! And that doesn't mean I'll keep quiet! I'll still speak my mind, only I'll do what you say. And I only agreed to it not because I like you, but I want to teach Blossom a lesson!" Buttercup shot back.

"Agreed! I'll oust power from Blossom with your help so you can get justice, and in exchange, you'll obey me in matters regarding the alliance and in saving the day, but not your personal life, and you can criticize me all you want," Brick said. "Besides, you can vote against me in the next election after this if you don't like how I'll run this alliance."

"Yeah, yeah, I agree," Buttercup said. "Don't worry, tomorrow, I'll make sure you win the election."

"Thanks. And I'm willing to give you $10 in addition to justice if I win tomorrow!"

"Really! Thanks. Hey, is that a bribe?"

"Nope! Just a token of my appreciation!" Brick said.

"Thanks! Don't worry, tomorrow, you'll win the election and teach Blossom a lesson! But don't forget the ten dollars!"

"Yeah, and don't tell Blossom about this, okay?"

"Okay!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

Blossom was studying when a thought came to her. 'I think I'll call Robyn tonight. I forgot to ask her what page the required reading is.'

Blossom then went to the corridor upstairs and picked up the phone.

"Thanks. And I'm willing to give you $10 in addition to justice if I win tomorrow!" Blossom suddenly heard Brick say.

"Really! Thanks. Hey, is that a bribe?" she heard Buttercup say.

"Nope! Just a token of my appreciation!" Brick said.

"Thanks! Don't worry, tomorrow, you'll win the election and teach Blossom a lesson! But don't forget the ten dollars!"

"Yeah, and don't tell Blossom about this, okay?"

"Okay!"

Then, both hung-up.

It threw Blossom into a panic. 'Oh no, I'm going to lose the election! Damn! Who knew Brick would go so low as to bribe Buttercup to vote for him? Well, I won't let that happen!'

Blossom stormed downstairs where she met Buttercup, who was halfway up the stairs.

"Buttercup, why the hell did you allow yourself to be bribed by Brick?"

"And why are you listening in to my telephone conversations?" Buttercup shot back.

"I accidentally did it, not on purpose!" Blossom replied. "The point it, you're going to vote for Brick, aren't you?"

"Well, so what if I am?" Buttercup defiantly said.

"You just sold your vote," Blossom exclaimed. "Imagine, you're going to vote against your sister and for somebody you don't like at all for a measly ten dollars! For no good reason other than ten dollars? What kind of principle is that? Other than to have money?"

Buttercup just stared dangerously at Blossom but didn't say anything.

"Well, since you accepted a bribe from Brick, might as well do the same," Blossom said. 'It's low,' Blossom thought, 'but it's better than losing. And Buttercup would not vote for me if I keep up my moralizing,' she thought. "Look, what if I give you twenty dollars?"

"Twenty dollars?" exclaimed Buttercup in amazement.

"Yup! I've sold most of my comics to Brick and I have the money to pay you," Blossom said. She then took her wallet from her pocket, grab a crisp bill with the portrait of Andrew Jackson on it, and dangled it in front of Buttercup's eyes. Buttercup just stared at the money, mesmerized by it.

"And it's all yours! If you don't vote for Brick tomorrow, I'll give you this! So what do you say?"

Buttercup was caught in a dilemma. She wanted to have the twenty dollars, as it was the largest cash she would possess until that time, and she began to dream about what she would buy using it. But she also wanted to have revenge on Blossom. And she wouldn't want to waste the ten dollars. 'There's got to be a way to have it both ways,' Buttercup thought.

"Okay. I won't vote for Brick tomorrow. Prepare the twenty bucks!" Buttercup finally said after a minute of thinking.

It instantly produced a smile on Blossom's face. 'Whew that was close. Nice try Brick, but you just didn't offer enough money!'

So both Brick and Blossom slept with the expectation that they would win next day's election.

Still, Buttercup made promises to both Blossom and Brick, and she would have to break one of them. Or does she? Buttercup slept with a peaceful mind. Both Brick and Blossom are sure of her vote, but whom will Buttercup really vote for?

And would the winner actually force the loser to do the humiliating punishments?


	24. The Election

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 24**

**The Election**

The City of Towsville, and it is the afternoon of December 3.

It was the afternoon of the election, and all six members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance gathered at the school gates after class was over. With them was three so-called "impartial" observers, whom they agreed would count the votes and proclaim the winner. They are Robyn Snider, Mike Believe and Mitch Mitchellson.

"Are you guys ready?" asked a confident Blossom.

"Ready to win!" Brick said.

"You wish! Okay, Brick typed the rules and agreements we made for the election. Here, I'm handing each of you a photocopy of it, so you also know the rules. Brick brought with him, at my request, a small video camera that will be operated by you Mitch, to record the proceedings."

"You're the boss," Mitch said as Brick gave him the video camera.

"Okay, let's go to the forest of Dr. Edwards so we can vote there in peace," Blossom said. "Butch, carry Mitch, Boomer, carry Mike, and Bubbles, carry Robyn. We're going to fly them there to save time."

Surprisingly, both boys didn't as much grumble obeying Blossom's orders because they thought it would be the last time they would have to follow her. Bubbles carried Robyn with absolutely no problem at all.

They arrived at the forest, and immediately went to a small patch of clearing in the middle of it. It was nearing winter, and the cold icy winds could clearly be felt. All of the kids are now wearing thick winter clothing, even if it was still fall, with jackets, scarves, gloves, earmuffs, and trousers.

The forest itself, except for a few tall cypress, pines and a few evergreens, looked dead as most broadleafs had already shed their leaves and preparing for the coming winter. Most animals had either had already hibernated, or have migrated south, or were shot dead by Dr. Edwards and his sons in one of his hunting parties. The forest floor was littered with dead leaves and rotting wood.

Underscoring it was the weather. The sky was completely overcast, and gray. The wind blew harder and harsher than before, and only a few hardy or foolish souls would dare venture from their homes without any jacket or coats, though some idiots have been caught running around in the bitter cold night in their underwear and were promptly committed to an insane asylum.

The weather underscores the atmosphere prevailing over the Ruff-Puff Alliance. By this time, the relationship among the six kids were dominated by the rivalry between the Alliance Leader and Leader of the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom Utonuim, and the Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, William Bricker Edwards Jr. At times cordial, at times strained, those two had been competing with each other ever since the boys were resurrected by Dr. Edwards, starting when they were enemies, continuing when they were no longer at each other's throats, but intensifying when they were allies, even as Blossom won the initial contests among who was to be the leader.

Butch and Boomer, of course, unswervingly supported Brick, at least in front of others, though it didn't let Brick escape from his brothers' criticisms in private. Bubbles, and to a lesser extent Buttercup, supported their red-haired sister.

Now the rivalry had reached a turning point, similar to the one when Dr. Edwards chose Blossom as the first leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. It would either continue under Blossom or change course with Brick.

"Okay, Mike, roll it. Mike, Robyn, do as we agreed this morning," Blossom instructed.

"We'll do Blossom," Mike said. "Okay, Mitch, roll it!"

"And a one, and a two, and your on!" Mitch said as he put the video cam on a tripod.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Robyn said. "Today is December 3, and the important election for the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance will be held in a few minutes. The candidates are Blossom and Brick, while those who will vote are Buttercup, Bubbles, Boomer and Butch as well as Brick and Blossom themselves. Now, Mike here will read the rules of the election."

Mitch pans the camera towards Mike.

"Is it my turn yet?" Mike cluelessly asked.

"Cut," Brick suddenly said. "Mike, when Robyn says, 'Mike here will read the rules of the election', you go in and adlib an intro and read the photocopied rules Blossom gave you."

"Sorry, I forgot," Mike apologized.

"Nevermind. Mitch rewind the film and start where Robyn ended."

"You got it!" Mitch said as he did as told.

"Now do it right this time!" Blossom said. "Now, roll 'em!"

""Got you!" said Mitch, as he pressed the record button on the video camera.

"Okay. Here are the rules as agreed to previously by Brick and Butch," Mike said like a robot, reading the document. "First, the election about to be held will determine the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. Second, each member would have one vote. Third, the one who had the most votes would be the new leader of the alliance. Fourth, in case of a tie vote, the current leader, in this case, Blossom, shall win the election."

"Now, here are the agreements made that the loser must do…" and Mike proceeded to read all the things that the loser must do. Pretty soon, most of them can't keep a straight face and burst out laughing their heads off the most ridiculous of the terms. Several times, they had to rewind and do again the reading of the rules because Mike, Mitch and Robyn just messed it up laughing and laughing and laughing. As well as Butch and Boomer who were delighted at a chance to humiliate Blossom, but Brick and Blossom and Buttercup and Bubbles didn't laugh as much they already knew of it.

Finally, Mike read the final rule. "And the winner reserves the right to cancel any one of the rules. Which means that the winner may not force the loser to do the punishments. Signed, William B. Edwards, and Blossom Utonium."

After reading the rules, Mike again laughed. "Whew! That was hilarious. Whoever loses will be sorry he agreed to it!"

"Now that the rule reading is over, it's time for the election! I, Robyn Snider will count the votes and proclaim who won. Now let's start. Okay, Boomer, vote."

"I vote for Brick," Boomer said.

"And Brick leads with one vote and Blossom second with zero votes," Robyn said in front of the camera. "Now let's go to Boomer's counterpart, Bubbles. Okay, Bubbles, cast you vote."

"Blossom," she simply said.

"And now their tied, each with one vote! The race is neck and neck, folks, and it is still unclear who will win! Will it be Brick, or will it be Blossom? Well, we'll now go to the votes of the leaders themselves. Okay Blossom, who are you going to vote for?"

"I vote for Brick," Blossom said, stunning everybody. "What?"

"Um, Blossom, in an upset, just voted for her rival! And Brick leads with two votes to Blossom's one. And now, let's hear Brick's vote."

"Blossom," he said. "Don't be surprised. We already knew that we would vote for ourselves, so Blossom and I agreed this morning to vote for each other just to spice things up. Besides, it doesn't change anything since we would cancel each other's vote."

"Well, from the mouth of Blossom's challenger himself, on why they voted for each other," Robyn said, a little bit surprised. "Well, it's tied, two for Brick, and two for Blossom. Now we'll ask for the votes of the last two contestants which will decide the winner. Who will win? Brick or Blossom? Let's ask for Butch Edwards's vote. Okay, Butch, who will you vote for?"

"Brick, who else?" he quipped.

"And that's one more vote for Brick. Brick now leads Blossom three to two," Robyn said, speaking like a sports anchor. "And now, we have the final vote that will decide the election. Should Buttercup vote for Blossom as expected, it would be a tie and Blossom would win according to the rules, but should Buttercup vote for Brick, Brick would win by two votes. Okay Buttercup, whom will you vote for."

"Hm, that's hard. Let me think about it," Buttercup said. "I think I'll vote for…wait a minute, scratch that. No, my vote goes to…Hm, I know. Both Brick and Blossom are too arrogant to be the leader, and both don't deserve it. I vote for myself. Yup! I vote for Buttercup. I deserve to be the leader. Besides, there isn't anything in the rules that says I have to vote for only the two of them!"

Robyn was totally surprised, and so were the rest of the kids. "Um, okay, Buttercup has Buttercup's vote and now that Buttercup has voted, the election is now over. So the final tally is, Brick has three votes, Blossom has two, and Buttercup has one. And since Brick has the most votes, then he wins this election and is now the new leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance," Robyn proclaimed then held up Brick's arm and raised it in front of the video camera. Brick has a big smile on his face as he savored his triumph over Blossom.

"So Brick, how does it feel to unexpectedly win this election," Robyn asked, holding a fake microphone to his mouth.

"Well, just between the two of us, I didn't expect to lose," Brick replied. "I'm happy, and I'm proud."

Robyn went over to Blossom, who had a shocked expression on her face, and she was staring intently on Buttercup.

"So Blossom, how'd you feel about your defeat?" asked Robyn in a kinda mock interview.

Blossom was silent, deep in thought, her face showing the bitterness and disappointment of defeat. 'How did it happen? How could I have lost?'

"Um, Blossom?"

"Um, oh yeah, what is it you were asking again Robyn?" Blossom finally answered.

"How do you feel that you lost the election, Blossom?"

"Disappointed," the former leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance answered. "I should've won, but I didn't. Brick won fair and square. Well, congratulations to him."

"And are you going to do those things that the loser must do as mentioned when Mike read the rules?"

"I might as well. I was the one who made it. Unless of course Bubbles was telling the truth when she told me yesterday Brick cancelled the most humiliating punishments, or if not, Brick has a change in heart," Blossom solemnly said.

"Thank you Blossom," Robyn said, then turned to the camera. "Folks, thus ends the second election for the leadership of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. An unexpected vote of Buttercup swung the election Brick's way. Now we have witnessed the joy of victory, the agony of defeat, the exhilaration of winning, the bitterness of losing. Well, this is Robyn Snider. Goodbye!"

And Mitch turned off the camcorder. "Gee that was fun playing reporter!" Robyn said.

She then saw Blossom and tried to comfort her. "Don't take it too hard Blossom. You only lost. And besides, I'm sure Brick won't insist on those humiliating terms."

"I can only hope," Blossom said, looking at the ground. "Bubbles, are you sure Brick said he'd cancel those conditions?"

"I'm pretty sure about it Blossom," Bubbles replied. "Gosh, I'm so sorry you lost Blossom. But as you said, Brick will make a fine leader."

"You don't have to be sorry for anything Bubbles. Thanks for voting for me!"

"Aw, don't mention it. We're sisters after all!" Bubbles said, hugging Blossom. "Don't feel too bad about it."

Brick meanwhile was being congratulated by both his brothers and the other boys.

"Man, well, congratulations," Mitch said. "I never expected you could beat Blossom, but hey, I'm glad you won."

"Same here," said Mike. "Though you shouldn't be too harsh on Blossom. I don't think making her do all those things is a good idea. Ridiculous and funny? Yes, but good? No."

"Aw Brick, we finally got rid of that girl!" Butch said.

"And the best part is, we won't have to take anymore orders from the red-haired terror girl!" Boomer exulted.

"I was wrong, you aren't Blossom's lapdog!" Butch said. "Even if you were!"

"I was never ever that ugly girl's lapdog, you idiot!" Brick replied. "But who cares? It's clear I'm not today or ever more as long as I'm leader of this godforsaken alliance!"

"Ha, serves her right!" Boomer added. "This calls for a celebration!"

"Yeah! Let's go home and celebrate!" Brick said.

"But what about her punishments?" Butch asked. "I mean she lost, didn't she?"

"Who cares? I won, and that's the only thing that matters! If she wants to do those punishments, let her, but I won't force her to do it. The only thing I'll demand is she always follow my orders!"

"But she should be…"

"Butch, drop it! That's an order!"

"Yes Brick," said a grumbling Butch. "I hope I'm wrong, but I think you're going soft on her."

"Whatever," Brick said.

"Hey, Brick, we had a deal, remember?" Buttercup suddenly said.

"Oh yeah," he said, and took ten dollars from his pocket and gave it to Buttercup. He then took the video camera from Mitch before zooming off with his brothers towards home.

* * *

"Well, this certainly is a day!" Boomer said as they arrived.

"Yup! Three months of planning has finally paid off!" Brick mentioned. "Have I said that I have planned for this day ever since Blossom was chosen leader?"

"Well, tell us about it!" Butch retorted.

"Okay. This rivalry, as you may know, started from the very beginning, ever since Dad recreated us. At first, we were enemies, and our rivalry consisted of us trying to destroy each other, or our reputations. Remember when they used the monster alliance to force us to admit we still worked for Mojo? I hated Blossom at first because of what happened last time, but when we thrashed them at our first encounter, my hatred of her disappeared as I got my revenge. Not even the monster alliance incident can bring back my hatred for her, since one, she never succeeded in her objective, and two, it in itself was a brilliant maneuver, the only thing she should have done differently is she should have made sure she can trust those monsters."

Both brothers nodded.

"After they found out we were not evil, a new problem arose for them. Because of our Comm. Watches and Dad's efficient system, we threatened to cast them into oblivion as they would always be upstaged by us in saving the day. So they need to ally with us in order to still be viable as superheroes. But Blossom is too proud to ask, and I wasn't too eager for an alliance. But in a brilliant move, she not only made the alliance possible but on her terms, with her as the leader, totally outmaneuvering me."

Brick continued. "Anyway, in retrospect, I am thankful that Dad chose her instead of me three months ago."

"What? I thought you wanted badly to be the leader at that time?" asked Butch.

"Yup, I wanted to. But I now know that had I been chosen by Dad, it would have been a disaster," Brick explained. "I learned a lot from my first defeat that I would not have learned if Dad chose me until it was too late."

"Why is that?" asked Boomer. It was very unusual for Brick to admit to such a thing.

"Because I don't know the Powerpuff Girls that good. I don't know that Blossom's such a good strategist and tactician, I don't know about Buttercup's frequent quarrels with Blossom, I don't know what makes Bubbles' tick, in fact, I don't know anything about them at all, and given what I know now, I would've rubbed them the wrong way all throughout, and the alliance would split," Brick said. "Look, Blossom has the same problem before. She barely knew us, but now, she knows me better and you two too. The reason that she didn't bungle up was because I gave her my full support by always following and enforcing her orders. She didn't know what makes us tick, and who we really are, and she tried putting her morality over us."

"Anyway, if I become leader, there is no reason for the girls to follow each and every one of my orders, since they had absolutely no reason to be loyal to me at all," Brick continued. "I doubt she would give me the same loyalty and obedience that I have showed her. At the same time, all three of us had no real reason to be loyal to the girls at all. But we all know what happened. I ordered you to obey her and be loyal, and as such, she became an effective leader. You all remember when you tried to show Dad those tapes which showed Blossom making the alliance, and you know how I took them away."

"You may not like this, but Blossom acquitted herself well soon after, when those mysteriously strong monsters, the kidnapping of Dad, their eventual rescue and the defeat of Ckracknow. Those events showed that she is indeed very good leader."

"But that doesn't meant I gave up my quest to become leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance," Brick said. "But before that, I want to have the loyalty of the girls for me not just because I am leader, because if not, I would be at Blossom's mercy."

"What do you mean?" asked Butch. "How could you be at her mercy if you become leader."

"Simple. If I didn't tell you to follow Blossom before, would you have obeyed her?"

"Certainly not! Why would we follow that girl?" said Butch in contempt. "The only reason we accepted her is because you told us so!"

"Exactly!" Brick said. "And if the reverse is true, and I was the leader of the alliance, Blossom could tell her sisters to stop following me and there's nothing I could do about it. Now, my main goal is to make sure Bubbles and Buttercup would follow me even if Blossom opposed me, or failing at that, Blossom would be loyal to me even if she doesn't like what I said she should do. Now, first is Bubbles. Bubbles is perhaps both the easiest, and the hardest. Easiest because she readily trusts and likes anyone not a villain, and hardest because it's hard making her do things she might not like because of her conscience."

"Well, as you all know, I won Bubbles' friendship and trust during the monster alliance, when, for some reason, she thought we were not evil. My objective is to make Bubbles comfortable with us boys, and make her not mind if I'm the leader. You remember the deal we made whereby Bubbles would help us clean our house every afternoon in exchange for us being friends? Well, it worked perfectly! Not only did Boomer and I win Bubbles' trust totally, but it gained me some measure of future loyalty from her. As a result, she had, or she thinks she had, something to owe us for. Not only that, but you and Bubbles have become even more closer!"

"But how do you know?" asked Butch.

"Simple!" Brick said. "What she said to me yesterday when I asked for her vote, and failing at that, asking for her loyalty!"

"Ohh, I get it now!" Boomer said.

"Now, Blossom. Blossom is a bit more difficult, but once you get what makes her tick, it's not terribly hard. First, remember all those talk where I said, 'Of course, I'll always follow your orders, but when I become leader, you should follow me,' she would always reply, 'of course I'll follow you when you are leader, but that'll never happen because as long as I am leader.' She just assumed she won't lose her position to me so she readily agreed with me. Plus the fact that I encouraged her to demand total obedience from us to whoever is the leader when she was the leader. And also, remember the times when I told her flat out that I think her ideas are wrong and crazy and yet followed it and told her that I expect her to do the same when I am the leader and she told 'yeah yeah if you are leader but you'll never be'? It sounded like a broken record repeated time and time again but to me, it's important, as it established the principle in her mind that the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance will be obeyed. One could criticize, object, debate or even disagree, but in the end, you must obey! And she can't disobey any of my orders without her looking hypocritical."

"Also, she knew that the only reason you two are following her is because of me, and she knows she owes me one too! Not to mention the conditions she made where the loser in the election must absolutely follow the winner. Now, on to Buttercup."

Brick continued. "Buttercup, perhaps, is the most difficult, since she probably is the most stubborn, toughest, and free spirited one of all the girls. I know I could not rely on Blossom to keep her in line once I become the leader, so I had to do it myself. Fortunately, I also know that she is the most selfish of the girls and the most self-centered. If you use the right tools, she too could be manipulated to do what you want her to do," Brick said. "I've observed many times how Blossom controls Buttercup, and I've learned a lot of things."

"At the beginning, I had virtually no prospect of making Buttercup loyal to me, since I reckon she has a healthy dislike of me. And so it continued that way until we rescued Dad from Ckracknow. My first chance came when I rescued Buttercup from drowning, and I made it a point to always remind her of it, and because of that, even until now, she still thinks she owes me one. Second, I used the incident to make Buttercup follow my leadership in the fight against Two, and I proved to be bearable as a leader. Those two incidents effectively erased her dislike of me, though it is still a long way to go. My next step is to persuade Blossom to make Buttercup my partner in the pairings system after Dad's rescue."

"But the final piece fell into place when Blossom yelled at Buttercup for seemingly botching her orders, just before the day of the election. I decided to take advantage of her resentment at Blossom's bossiness, and it worked like a charm. Now, the case for Blossom's removal has been made, and my actions in the previous weeks made me a palatable and acceptable alternative to Blossom in the green-eyed-girl's eyes. But more importantly, I also garnered from her a pledge that she would follow me if I won. I don't know how effective that pledge was, but combined with the ten dollars, it's a start!" Brick explained. "And that, my dear brothers, was my plan to take over the Ruff-Puff Alliance. And I wouldn't have done it if Dad had chosen me leader instead of Blossom in the first place. I probably would have crashed sooner, and my head would be even bigger than Blossom. Now, let's go home and celebrate with Dad!"

* * *

Meantime…

Robyn, Mike, and Mitch had gone home, and so had the Powerpuff Girls. Bubbles kept comforting her sister, while Buttercup had a smug expression on her face. Blossom's expression is a mixture of disappointment, sadness, bitterness and anger. There was bound to be a confrontation between the two sisters when they arrived.

"Hey Blossom, where's my $20?"

"What? I lost because of you and you still had the audacity to demand the money?" Blossom indignantly asked.

"Well, you told me not to vote for Brick, not to vote for you! And I didn't vote for Brick, happy?"

Blossom realized then and there that she made the wrong wording that enabled Buttercup to have it both ways.

Blossom then took the money from her pocket and gave it to Buttercup.

"Buttercup, why the heck did you not vote for me? I thought we understood each other yesterday!" Blossom demanded.

"Well, our understanding is that you'll give me $20.00 in exchange for me not voting for Brick. You never said…"

"Don't go around the bush. What is the real reason you let me lose? I'm your sister, and you let me lose? Why? I demand you tell me the truth!"

"You want the truth Blossom?" Buttercup tersely replied. "I'll give you the truth! I voted against you because I wanted to teach you a lesson! You recently have become very arrogant! You never listen to us anymore! You never took responsibility for your actions! At least Brick did when he resigned. Yes, I admit, you were brilliant, you were smart, you are a good girl at heart, and you have the capacity to lead, but you were losing touch with your own sisters! You were too bossy! And you always push your weight around."

Blossom listened, then realized her mistakes. It hit her like a pile of bricks. Buttercup's words struck her hard, since it was the first verbal thrashing she received after a particularly harsh defeat at Brick's hands, and she admitted Buttercup was right. But what was worst, it was too late, since she already lost the election. If she had made a tearful apology the day before, then she would have still been leader. "Oh Buttercup, I'm sorry," she cried after a few minutes of silence and staring in the eyes. "I'm really sorry. I never should have blamed you for that incident! You were right. I never should have blamed you. Will you forgive me?"

Buttercup took pity on Blossom. "Blossom, I won't regret what I did because it was right, not only for Brick and myself, but for you too. You see Blossom, you needed a blow on your head for it to deflate, to pull you back to reality. You need to know that you don't know everything, that sometimes, others can be right too. We did it for your own good."

After that, Blossom just sobbed continuously in Buttercup's shoulder. It was painful for her to lose power, to feel rejected, to learn the truth about how her sister sees her. A few minutes later, Bubbles went down and cried with her sister, just so Blossom could have someone to cry with in her emotional state. Buttercup at that point lost all her resentment and anger at Blossom, just like the people of Towsville did when Blossom made another tearful apology. She had felt Blossom had already learned her lesson. "Blossom, have you learned your lesson?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," Blossom said. "Will you forgive me for the way I acted? I really acted like a jerk yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yes you did," Buttercup said. "But you're my sister. How could I not forgive you? I forgive you! No doubt about it!"

Blossom quickly dried her tears and quickly hugged both her sisters. "I'm lucky to have both of you as sisters."

"Oh Blossom, don't feel too bad about it!" Bubbles said. "Because if you do, then I'll also feel bad for you! Besides, Brick isn't that bad as you think he is!"

"I never said he was bad at all," Blossom said. "But now I'm going to have to eat my own words that I said to him."

"What kind of words?" asked Buttercup.

"Well, I said that he must always follow me, even if he doesn't like it, and he said that I must do the same if he was leader. Of course, I then thought that I would never lose my position, and I agreed. Now that he won, I realized that those words were not grandstanding or meaningless. Oh well, I made a promise to Brick repeatedly, and I have to keep it."

"Well, think of it as a learning experience," Bubbles said. "You always got your way Blossom, so now, you'll know how is it to obey somebody else other than the Professor."

'Brick, you might have won this round, but that doesn't mean I'm out for the count. Nor sir, I will find a way to wrestle back the leadership. In the meantime, as long as you are leader, you can count on my loyal support as I could count on yours,' Blossom thought. 'Our rivalry is not over, Brick!'

But it was not long before the first severe test of Brick's leadership would come, and all the work he had done to ensure the girls' loyalty would be put to the test.


	25. The Attack on Citiesville

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 25**

**The Attack on Citiesville**

I'm starting Part IV of Allies and Rivals II. Just to let you know, Part I is the process of forming the alliance itself, from Blossom proposing the alliance, to Mojo making another attempt at the lives of the girls, and to the Fourth Clash, to the start of Blossom and Brick's rivalry for leadership, and Brick's defeat and Blossom becoming the first leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance.

Part II is the struggle against Ckracknow and an exhibition of Blossom's leadership, from the thieves who had no names and only whites in their eyes, and the extraordinarily strong monsters, One, the kidnapping of Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium, Brick's resignation as leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, the leadership trials of Butch and Boomer, the resumption of Brick as leader and Dr. Edwards and Prof. Utonium's renewed contact with the kids, the rescue of Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium, the fight with Two, and Blossom's triumph as leader.

Part III is when Brick resumed his challenge for the leadership, from Brick's challenge, to Blossom's arrogance getting worst, to Brick's winning the election.

This is part IV. I hope you enjoy it. This part would showcase Brick as leader of the alliance.

* * *

The town of Citiesville, on December 10, was not really a town, but a large bustling metropolis. Its population easily outstripped that of Townsville by the millions, and its GNP dwarfed that of the Powerpuff hometown too. In fact, it was so large, that its economy could easily have been the equivalent of the GNP of a small African country.

In size, both in land area and population, it was gigantic. It was also the wealthiest city of the state, easily surpassing that of Townsville. It had a stock exchange, and was the center of trade and commerce. It was the center of science with the state's leading scientists residing and working in it. Most of the state's leading business, and branches of large corporations, had their HQ on Citiesville. An example was Dr. William K. Edwards, who lived and worked in Citiesville for ten years before abruptly moving into Townsville six months ago in June.

Indeed, Citiesville was comparable to New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, while that of Townsville can only be compared to Lexington, Kansas City, Santa Fe, or Boise. It truly ranks among the great cities of the United States of America. But for some reason, it was ignored by the rest of the country.

It's Mayor, the white haired 59-year-old Julian Malarkey, had a reputation for toughness and no nonsense leadership. His reputation was even enhanced when he scolded the Powerpuff Girls (when they temporarily went to live there) for destroying a multi-million dollar bridge that was the economic life-line of the city. That incident lost the city many billions in revenue. Many small businesses failed, large corporations had huge losses, and many people were thrown out of work, before the bridge was finally rebuilt after one month. The incident left a bad taste for superheroing do-gooders not only on Mayor Malarkey but also on all citizens of Citiesville, and from that day on, the Powerpuff Girls were vilified in the bustling metropolis.

Perhaps, the most famous landmark of the city was its red suspension Bridge that connects the main city with the suburbs. For Citiesville was located on an island in the middle of a large lake. The island where it was located has an area equal to that on New York City. The lake itself was as large as the Great Salt Lake in Utah. And the bridge itself crosses the narrowest body of water between the mainland and the island. In addiction, the bridge was the only connection between the city and the mainland because of its geography.

On the mainland side of Citiesville were its' suburbs. As the Mayor Malarkey said, a majority of the people doesn't live in the main city, but rather commute to the city using the main bridge. As such, there were always heavy traffic jams in the morning and evening rush hours.

But in spite of its' size, wealth, and population, Citiesville was a hellhole. The streets were dangerous as early as seven in the evening. Its murder rate was the highest in the nation. Crime proliferated in the city. Organized Crime families had more control over the city than the city government itself. It was extremely dirty and polluted. Its residents were rude, jerks, self-centered and selfish. It was a drug-riddled city, and the Mayor seemed helpless to solve the problem. The police were corrupt. So was the bureaucracy. Even though the Mayor himself was honest, he seemed helpless and incompetent in the face of crime and the corrupt city council. Plus, the city was the most polluted in the nation, with the lake around it is filthier than the water of an unflushed toilet with fesces. The air was only tolerable.

Things couldn't get any worst. But it did.

It was December 10, at noon. Most people were in the main city, since it was a workday. Most of the schools were also on the island, so most of the kids and teen-agers were also on the island. That moment, there were 5 million people on the island.

But there was another reason why people flocked to Citisville that day. Reporters and weathermen had reported that the first snow of the winter season will fall on Citisville that day on that hour, and most of the people of Citisville, even those who normally wouldn't go to the main city, went to the island just to see the first snowfall. Indeed, half the population of the suburbs of Citiesville were in the main city just for the occasion.

The Mayor of Citisville was observing the throng of people in the streets waiting for the first snow of winter.

"Ah, look at those people," Mayor Malarkey observed, "waiting for the first snow of winter. I suppose its something to drown out all their problems, for a while. Pity that some pickpockets will probably take advantage of those poor saps while they're too busy staring at the sky. I wonder how long it would take before those degenerate losers would incite the crowd to riot?"

"Well sir, I think you should alert the riot police just in case," his aide, Mr. Pratter, suggested.

"Tell them to bring the high-pressured hoses, and all of those riot gear and tear gas just in case they get rowdy. We don't want a repeat of the great riot following the destruction of the bridge by those bug-eyed freaks, now would we?"

Many people, at least those that weren't at work or at school, gathered in the streets to await the first snow of the season. But something altogether different, something deadlier, arrived.

There was a large explosion in one of the skyscrapers, and the pieces came down on the crowd. The crowd panicked, and stampeded out. But another skyscraper fell to where the crowd had run to. Then, the buildings all collapsed on them. There were screams, shouts and yells as many thousands of people lost their lives to the concrete and steel of the buildings.

Fifty thousand people were killed in that first few minutes, from the crowd in the streets, to the people in all the large and crowded hundred story skyscrapers and office buildings and apartments in that section of the city.

"Nice shot, Beta," a silver haired boy with red eyes about 18 years of age said. He was about six feet two, very muscled, and had a calm and authoritative voice. He was floating above the city with four other companions.

"Of course Alpha," replied Beta, a black haired boy about 17 years of age with yellow eyes, about 5 feet nine and a half inch tall. He was quite skinny and weak on the body, but his laser attacks were the most powerful. It was his hits that demolished the skyscrapers around the crowd gathered in the streets. "Ha, did you see that? 50 K dead in just three shots!"

"Epsilon, do it," Alpha commanded to another boy also 18 years old. He had dark brown hair and black eyes and a height of 6'5", the tallest of the five. He had no laser attacks or any ranged ones, but he was physically the strongest of the five. He quickly flew towards the brick colored bridge, where pandemonium reigned as thousands of cars and people dashed towards the mainland. When the first of the panicking people neared the end of the bridge, Epsilon, using his fists, pulverized that part of the bridge. Most of the people on that part where either killed when they were crushed by the concrete or when their cars fell into the freezing lake and they can't get out and drowned. Others who were running tried to jump and swim into the opposite shore, but the water was freezing, and pretty soon, all but the toughest died from extreme cold or just drowned. Only two dozen or so, out of hundreds, managed to swim ashore into the mainland.

The rest of the people stared at Epsilon, then screamed and started running in the opposite direction. Epsilon smirked as he flew as fast as he can to the opposite side of the bridge and demolished it, trapping at least two thousand people. He then demolished the bases of the bridge, lifted the bridge up into the air, and threw it upside-down into the lake. It happened so fast that most people were still on the bridge when it collided upside-down with the water. At that moment, three-quarters of all the people in the bride, about 1,500 people, died. The rest of them were floating in the freezing lake, slowly dying of the cold.

Then, to make things worst, it began to snow, and the first snow began to fall on the lake. Some of the more able bodied tried swimming for the shore.

"Delta, finish off those people in the water. Their screaming irritates me!" Alpha ordered.

"Yes sir," the fifteen-year-old five-feet-three inches tall brown eyed and gray haired Delta went where Epsilon was. He was like Beta, frail in body, but was compensated by his extremely powerful laser attacks. In addition, he was fast with it. "Hey Epsi, Alpha told me to help you kill those buggers!"

"I don't need your help," Epsilon grunted. "I can do the job myself. And don't call me Epsi!"

"I know you're superstrong, but can you do this?" He then began releasing tiny laser blasts from his hands as fast as machine gun bullets. Each of the laser blasts hit a single man, woman or child still struggling in the freezing lake. The laser blasts were powerful enough to tear a hole in each of the people's heads the size of a pencil. Soon, all of the people in the lake were dead, and Citiesville Bay, as the lake was called, was blood red.

"Show off!" Epsilon sneered.

Citiesville was now cut off from the rest of the world, and there five million people in it were trapped.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Mayor Malarkey was quickly evacuated from City Hall moments before it collapsed, and was shuffled into a helicopter.

"Pratter, close all media outlets in this city. I don't want the media reporting this to the outside world!" Malarkey angrily ordered.

"But sir, don't you think it might be wise to ask others for help?"

"Bah! This town doesn't need any more negative publicity! You know why Towsville is poor compared to us? Because all those monster attacks and villains scared businessmen away from that city! I don't want the same thing to happen to Citiesville!" Malarkey explained. "Tell me, who among Towsville is a big shot among the state?"

"Well, there is Mr. Spencer Morebucks…"

"Morebucks is a schmuck!" Malarkey replied.

"And Dr. Edwards!"

"Edwards is a damned fool! The only reason he's such a success is because he lived here in Citiesville for ten years. And he left for no reason! That ungrateful fool! I hate him! He shouldn't have left Citiesville if he knew what was good for him," Malarkey said.

"And Professor John Utonium," Pratter said.

"Prof. John Who? Oh yeah, that mad scientist who created those bug eyed freaks? That nobody? But anyway, so what? Citiesville has many more than what Towsville could offer."

"But what about those five floating monsters?" asked Pratter. "Surely, you must ask for help if you want…"

"Help schmelp! I don't need any of it! We can take care of it. Order the entire police and the military to attack them," Malarkey said.

"But sir, I don't think our armed forces could handle…"

Malarkey brushed off his aide's objections. "You don't have faith in our armed forces? Our soldiers are well trained, and our equipment is state of the art! No, we will win by ourselves, or my name isn't Julian Malarkey!"

And so the order was given. Soon, all of the Citiesville police, and military, and air force went into action. However, the congestion of people in the streets and the debris prevented the tanks and police cars to roll, so the military were forced to march on foot. Also, a large part of the land military was on the mainland, so were unable to join the assault. The lake guard, the lake's coast guard equivalent, did not have enough vessels for transport, and none that can carry tanks and artillery. And a large part of these lake vehicles were now being used to evacuate the city, but they were too few to make even a dent.

The people were somehow relieved at the sight of their fine brave police and military marching down the street opposite the direction of the throngs of multitudes fleeing people. Soon the people cleared the way for the men-in-arms, and the way was clear for the tanks, rocket artillery, missile launchers, and ordinary police with rifles and machine guns to march.

Soon, they reached the spot where the five attacking teen-agers were. At a given order, the military unleashed hell. Tanks fired their rounds, artillery fired their shells, the city air force pounded them with missiles and bombs, and ordinary soldiers and policemen and soldiers shot their hand guns, automatic weapons, bazookas, and grenades. All the firepower of the city was concentrated on the five.

Soon, the shooting stopped when the five were shrouded with smoke. After a few seconds, the smoke lifted, and the five were standing, without a scratch in their bodies. Alpha smirked. "Cychaela, take care of these fleas," Alpha ordered.

Cychaela was the only female member of the five. Sixteen years of age, five foot six, with blond hair and blue eyes, she was weak in body, average in laser attacks, but she was the fastest of the group. With astonishing speed, she went and kicked and ripped off the wings of the warplanes and bombers, then proceeded to destroy all tanks and artillery. She then put her attention to the soldiers and police, and proceeded to kill them by snapping their necks. And it all took half a second. One observer saw the military in all their glory, fighting the five, blinked, and when he opened his eyes, it was all gone. In half a second, the military were no more, and another seven thousand killed.

"That was fast," Alpha wryly commented.

"Of course, fearless leader! The master didn't create me to be the fastest one for nothing, you know," Cychaela replied.

"Destroy all boats and ships on the lake," Alpha commanded. "Nothing should escape."

Cychaela nodded and did as told.

"So what do we do now?" asked Beta.

"We continue to create havoc until we lure those Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys here. Then, we destroy them," Alpha said.

"But why can't we just invade Townsville or something! Why attack Citiesville?" Delta questioned.

"Look, Delta, and that goes for all of you, we do not question the orders of our master, our creator. Our orders are to thrash Citiesville until those goody-two-shoes come here. Then, we would destroy them," Alpha said.

"But how are you sure they'd be baited?" Epsilon asked.

"Simple. They have to. They're superheroes. It's their job to rescue every useless and not-so useless hoboes that are threatened by us! They'll come," Alpha said. "In the meantime, have some fun. Just don't kill all of them."

So Beta, Cychaela, Delta and Epsilon went and had "fun" with the people, torturing, maiming, killing, and destroying.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Sir, you must call the Ruff-Puff Alliance! It's Citiesville's only hope!" Pratter said.

"I don't need those babies to save my city!" Malarkey shouted.

"Sir, all our police and military are gone! We have no choice! And if you don't call them, you would have no city to call your own!" Pratter replied.

Mayor Malarkey finally relented. "Okay, call Mayor Jay Mayor. No, cancel that, call Sara Bellum instead! Tell them I need, no say that I want those boys and girls to come here and do a little favor for me!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

It was a peaceful, happy late Autumn, or early winter, for the Edwards' family. They were in their forest, putting all the dried leaves in a gigantic pile fifty feet high in the middle of a clearing. Most of the dead branches and twigs were carted off to their backyard to serve as firewood. As the three boys hovered around to prevent the spread of fire, Dr. Edwards took a match from his pocket.

"Stay back, this might get ugly!" Dr. Edwards warned. "You don't want to be engulfed by the flames and smoke, you know!"

"Dad, so what? We can't get hurt by something as insignificant as smoke and fire!" Butch boasted.

"Well, you couldn't say I didn't warn you!" his father said with a grin on his face. He then lighted a single match, and lit the bottom of the pile.

The leaves were so dry and so combustible that it only took five minutes for it burn. The boys started to back out as the fire rose to monstrous heights, but Boomer suddenly pushed Butch into the fire. Then, the fire wound down and thick smoke emerged, and Butch was caught.

Butch wasn't hurt, but he was dirty and covered with soot. "Why you!"

Boomer just stuck out his tongue at Butch before laughing.

"Ha, I thought fire and smoke couldn't hurt you!" Brick teased as he took some ashes and poured it into Butch. Butch growled at him, picked up some ashes, and threw it into his leader. Soon, the three were engaged an ash war (like a food fight, but instead of food, they used ashes), and after that, they collapsed into laughter wallowing in the remains of the burnt leaves.

Dr. Edwards was laughing at the antics of his sons when his cellphone rang.

"Hello, oh hi Sara, what's up! What? Now what malarkey does that Mayor Malarkey want to say? Citiesville is under attack by five powerful beings? Don't worry, I'll send my sons to check it out! Bye!"

"Brick, Boomer, Butch, some powerful thing attacked Citiesville. I want you to check it out!" Dr. Edwards commanded his soot-covered sons.

"Aw Dad, do we have to?" Brick asked. "I mean, I can understand saving Townsville since we live here, but Citiesville? I don't think it's our business!"

"Yeah, why should we baby-sit every city that is attacked by a monster, or some superpowered being?" Boomer seconded. "Towsville is enough!"

"Yeah, who cares if Citiesville is destroyed! Hey, if that happened, then Townsville will be number one in our state! Go Townsville, you kick ass! Citiesville, you suck ass!" Butch shouted in a surprising burst of civic pride.

"Hey, I know Citiesville is the suckiest place in the world. I know, I spent ten of my most miserable years in that slum! And I hate that Mayor Malarkey of theirs, heck, I like Mayor Jay Mayor of Towsville better than him! And Mayor Mayor is an idiot! But you have a duty to destroy whatever threat there is, and wouldn't you think that once they're done with Citiesville, they'd proceed to Townsville? Now, what city do you prefer to be the battleground, Citiesville, or Towsville? If you let them destroy Citiesville, wouldn't you think that Townsville would also be destroyed when you battle here?"

"You're right Dad!" Brick replied. "Men, let's go!"

He then pressed his watch. "Blossom?"

"Yes Brick?"

"There's an attack on Citiesville. Go there now! We're heading there right now. We meet up on the way!"

"Okay Brick," Blossom replied. "See 'ya later!"

A few minutes later, they met up on their way to Citiesville.

"So what's up?" asked Blossom. "What exactly happened?"

"Dad said five powerful beings attacked Towsville!" Brick said.

"Citiesville? That dump? I think they've got what's coming to them for treating us the way they treated us!" Buttercup ranted, clearly remembering their stay at Citiesville. "Ha, take that, Citiesville!"

"For once, I agree with you, Buttercup!" Butch declared. "Townsville is way better than Citiesville!"

"Well, I hate to say it, but you're right, Butch! Go Townsville!" Buttercup seconded.

"Buttercup! Butch! Don't ever say that again!" Blossom lectured. "It's unbecoming of a Powerpuff Girl or Rowdyruff Boy! Nobody deserves that! Sure, Citiesville maybe a dump compared to our beautiful city, Townsville. It's people maybe jerks, they may have treated us miserably when we stayed there, but we're superheroes! It's our job to save the day, wherever it maybe, whoever it may be, whenever it may be! Our duty is to all the people, no matter how ungrateful it may be!"

"Look, Blossom, you're not the boss of me!" Butch said. "You lost the election, and so…"

"I know, Butch, you don't have to remind me of that! But that doesn't mean I can't be right and you can't be wrong!" Blossom replied, still proud despite what had happened, but noticeably humbler than before.

"Whatever," Buttercup answered. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, we don't know anything about what kind of attacker there is. Aside from knowing that they are five, and they are powerful, and are wreaking havoc, we don't know anything about it," Brick replied. "Most probably, if they're just like the villains we fought before, it won't be any problem."

The six members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance flew to Townsville, with the boys indifferent to its fate, and the girls less than enthusiastic with saving a city that had previously rejected them, all going out on a sense of duty, the boys out of duty for their father, and the girls out of a sense of responsibility.

They weren't prepared for what they saw when they arrived in Citiesville. In fact, nothing that they've experienced could have prepared them for this day.

Unlike in Townsville, where the people are orderly during monster attacks, there was total chaos in a city that's experiencing a super attack for the very first time. People were panicking, running and looting. But what really made their face white, and their blood curl, was the sight of dead bodies. Hundreds, nay, thousands, of dead bodies, lay on the streets, on the grounds, and on the pavements, on the parks—most of them murdered by the five, but some killed by the stampede of fleeing people, but they had no place to flee because the bridge was cut off. Some were killed by criminals who escaped in the chaos from Citiesville penitentiary.

More horrifying still was the conditions of their bodies. Many had their heads blown off, their brains scattered across the ground. Some had large holes in their body, their guts and entrails seen from outside. Some had no wounds and looked asleep, but the bones were broken inside and were very dead. And blood was everywhere. It was as if it had rained blood, since there was so much blood running on the streets.

But the most revolting thing from the point of view of the members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance was the behavior of the people. It's every man for himself. And to take the cake was the looting of the dead bodies. Men, women, and children, even while fleeing, would strip bare the dead bodies for their possessions. Even blood soaked clothing was stripped by fleeing people. Not to mentioned money and jewelry. And the ruffs and puffs even saw people using pliers pulling gold teeth from dead people, all in broad daylight, but unnoticed in the general chaos of the day.

Brick was immediately disgusted, and he immediately got sick, and began vomiting uncontrollably. He hasn't seen this much carnage on people, even while he was still working for Mojo Jojo the first time he was created. Boomer soon joined his brother. He nearly fainted by so much blood and guts, but miraculously, he recovered by leaning on top of a building. He was stunned by the sight, shivering as both his brothers went besides him. Butch, like his brothers, vomited uncontrollably, but didn't come close to fainting, but he kept his eyes off his ground. It was just too disgusting.

Bubbles screamed and immediately buried her head at Buttercup's shoulder, before fainting. It was just too much for her innocent mind. Blossom herself nearly fainted, but recovered, but she went to a building and cried at the carnage. She also vomited like the boys. Buttercup was stunned, and she couldn't help but cry. She joined Blossom, and cried together.

"Well isn't that grand," a low, loud voice said above where the six were. "Squirming at the sight of dead bodies!"

"So you were the one responsible for all of this, this carnage and destruction!" Blossom shouted. "You'll pay for this!" It was teary and emotional, all her humanity being aroused by the barbarity she just witnessed. They were outraged beyond tolerance.

"Yeah, you big stinker!" Buttercup replied.

By this time, Bubbles recovered and was crying, but it was soon turned to anger. "You'll go down, whoever you are! What you did is…is…is…is not nice!"

"So why don't you attack us?" Alpha challenged, with his four companions besides him.

"Don't be too hasty, you can't fight if you're too emotional," Brick said. He was cool and composed, and gritted his teeth at his new opponents.

Unlike the girls, he and his brothers didn't care about the lives of the people of Citiesville, and were only shocked because they never ever seen such carnage before, and was revolted by it. But they didn't care how many of them died. They might have grown loyal and affectionate towards Townsville and even it's people, but outside it, they were at best indifferent. It was still six months since evil Rowdyruffs were resurrected by Dr. Edwards, and it was amazing about how the doctor was able to use self-interest and loyalty to slowly change them for the better. Still, they had retained much of their characteristics when they were evil, such as their blind loyalty, their indifference or hostility to anybody from outside their world, their desire to maintain an emotional distance with the girls, even as they changed from essentially evil to essentially good.

It was the first order given by Brick in the battlefield.

"Okay, then, what do we do now, genius?" Blossom replied. "We can't wait too much, more people would die!"

"Yeah Brick, what do we do?" Bubbles said.

Looking at the situation, he simply didn't know enough about his enemies other than they're ruthless, merciless, barbarous.

"Guys, how strong do you think they are?" Brick asked.

"I don't know," Butch replied. "But I'm sure we can whoop their ass!"

"I don't know and I don't care! All I know is that I want to tear them apart limb by limb!" Buttercup said.

"Well, I'm not sure. What they've done can be done by any ordinary villain, so most probably they're much weaker than us!" Blossom said.

"Okay, attack them! Each of you choose one of them to battle. And kill your opponent!" he ordered. None of the girls questioned this, since they were all in a vengeful mode, and were too emotionally charged at the sight they just saw.

But before they could move, Cychaela, in a speed that astonished the six, quickly grabbed Bubbles and tossed her to Epsilon. He caught the blue puff, and in a well placed punch in the head, knocked her out cold. And it happened in five seconds. Epsilon then put the unconscious Bubbles under his arm.

Beta and Delta began firing their powerful lasers at the remaining ruffs and puffs. They fired it rapidly, and it hit all of them dead on, hurling them to the ground, hurt and weakened.

"Avoid those laser beams," Brick shouted. "They're deadly!"

"You don't have to tell us that, Sherlock," Blossom replied.

"Okay, try Plan 54," Brick instructed. "Okay, go!"

The five remaining ruffs and puffs then went straight for the enemy, with formation patterns changing so that Beta and Delta could not aim right.

But the enemy had a trick on its sleeve.

Alpha, Cychaela, and Epsilon charged.

Cychaela, using her superior speed, quickly yanked out Boomer from the formation and threw him to Epsilon, who had gone to the top of a skyscraper where he roughly placed an unconscious Bubbles. Boomer was able to halt before reaching Epsilon, but Epsilon attacked Boomer and soon, they were engaged in hand to hand fighting.

It was a bad situation for Boomer, simply because Epsilon was physically the strongest of them all, and easily was tougher than Boomer. They are about the same speed, so they were able to hit each other with the same frequency. Yet Boomer's punches and kicks barely tickled Epsilon, and Epsilon's attacks hurt and weakened Boomer. Pretty soon, Boomer was nauseous and dizzy as blow after blow was landed on his head and body.

Cychaela yanked Butch off their formation right after dealing with Boomer. She threw him towards Delta, who started throwing his powerful laser beams at Butch. Butch was hit four times in a row. It hurt, and it angered Butch.

"You'll pay for that!" Butch shouted. "Nobody does that to me and gets away with it! I'm level 17 for your information!"

"I don't care what level you are, I'm going to kill you," Delta said.

"Get ready to bow to me, you, whoever you are," Butch said as he angrily charged Delta.

"Perfect, just like a sitting duck," Delta chuckled as he shot beam after beam from his hands that hit the green-eyed boy dead on.

Butch ignored the beams that hit him, pressing forwards to reach Delta. But each beam that hit him produced massive pain and weakened him. After the fourth beam hit him, his strength gave out and collapsed, and he fell to the ground.

"Buttercup, take care of her," Brick ordered as he saw Cychaela yank his two brothers from his formation, thus ruining Plan 54.

"I'm on it," Buttercup replied as she assaulted the female teen. Cychaela, however, easily dodged her.

"Ha, slowpoke, you can't hit me!" Cychaela shouted. "After all, I'm ten years older than you, and you're just a baby!"

"We'll see who has the last laugh!" Buttercup said as she began her assault.

However, Cychaela was just too fast and she just spun around Buttercup. Buttercup tried hitting her, but Cychaela's speed made her miss. She hit Buttercup with small powerful lasers, not as powerful as that of Delta, but delivered in showers as she bombarded her with rapid laser beams and an occasional punch and kick. Buttercup tried resisting, but her opponent was just too fast. Soon, Buttercup was growing exhausted by the constant barrage, with Cychaela being too fast for her to hit.

Brick was about to help when he and Blossom were confronted by the remaining enemy, Alpha, and Beta.

"Ah, so, Blossom Utonium, the proud and arrogant leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance," Alpha said, "and Brick, the tough and just as arrogant second-in-command."

"Hey, I'm not the…"Blossom protested.

"No need to be modest Blossom," Brick said, winking at Blossom. "No need to hide the fact!"

Blossom decided to go along with Brick's ruse. After all, he was the leader. "Yeah, so what? Who are you?"

"Where you're going you won't need to find out who I am," Alpha said. "Beta, take care of Brick, I'll take care of Blossom!"

Beta began a barrage of laser fire at Brick. Brick was hit by the first one, but in spite of the massive pain, he managed to duck the following beams despite its speed. Desperate, he made a massive ice block, and threw it at Beta. The ice was easily destroyed by one of Beta's beams.

Brick flew around an arc shaped path so he would avoid being hit by the laser beams, and got close to Beta by his right side. Soon, they were engaged in hand to hand fighting. But even if Beta had a frail and weak body compared to Epsilon, he was still slightly stronger than Brick, and fast too. He blocked all of Brick's trusts. Brick was able to directly hit Beta with his ice breathe and laser eyes, but it was too weak that it only scratched him. Beta had no laser attacks from his eyes or attacks from his mouth, but took control of the fight, making powerful punches on Brick that slowly but surely sapped his strength. Beta and Brick were more equal than Epsilon and Boomer, but Beta still had a marked physical superiority over Brick, and it was telling.

"So, ready to surrender?" Alpha asked.

"Don't surrender, Blossom," Brick shouted while fighting Beta.

"Your second-in-command begs you not to surrender! But he's not the leader, he's not the one who has the responsibility1 You have! You have the chance to end this useless slaughter!"

But Blossom knows that Brick in effect gave an order not to surrender. Besides, even if she was still the leader, she won't. "I won't surrender! Now, I demand you stop this violence and leave!"

"Very well, if you want it this way, then have it your way," Alpha said as he threw a ball of laser into the crowds below. A split second later, before Blossom's very eyes, hundreds more people were killed in a large explosion below.

"You monster! Why do you have to kill people? Why all this blood?"

Instead of answering Blossom, Alpha assaulted Blossom with a vengeance. The leader of the five, Alpha, was the most powerful of them. He had the strength of Epsilon, the speed of Cychaela, and his beams were as powerful as that of Beta and Delta. He is an average solo tactician, but an excellent team leader, who knows how to deploy their various strength and weaknesses.

Alpha soon took control of the struggle, as he easily blocked all of Blossom's punches, and all her thrusts, and like her sisters and the boys, got thrashed.

* * *

Meanwhile, the situation became worse.

Boomer finally succumbed to unconsciousness as his body couldn't take anymore of Epsilon's blows. Buttercup also collapsed as Cychaela delivered her _coup_ _de_ _grace_.

'Damn it, it's lost,' Brick thought, as he backed away from Delta and went to Blossom's side. Both of them stood side by side as their enemies surrounded them from five sides.

All of them were laughing in a sinister and evil manner at the remaining two. They were confident—and they had good reason to. Blossom and Brick were battered and bleeding—one final assault would finish them off.

"Okay, do you surrender!"

"Not on your life," Brick replied.

"Oh well, it's your choice! Any last requests?" asked Alpha.

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes!" Brick said. "Could we wear our sunglasses?"

"That's odd? Why'd you want to do that?" asked Beta.

"We just wanna die cool!" Blossom answered.

"Well, okay," Alpha said. "But be quick about it!"

Blossom and Brick took out their shades from their pockets and wore them.

"Any other request?" Alpha replied.

"Well, could we empty our pockets?" Brick requested.

"That's strange, but why not?" Alpha said. "You two certainly have a strange sense humor!"

Brick smirked as he picked the sunball on his pocket, and activated it.

Soon, a blinding white flash enveloped Citiesville, and the five villains were forced to close their eyes or cover it with their hands.

"Blossom, get your sisters and run!" Brick ordered as he flew and picked up Boomer and Butch while his counterpart picked up her sisters. After that, both of them flew at top speed for Towsville.

"What now, Brick?" asked Blossom.

"What else? Do what we always do, train!" Brick replied. "We get to the highest level of Dad's lab!"

"And that would be?" asked Blossom.

"Level 40! After completing it, we'd be more than twice as strong," Brick replied.

"But won't that take one and a half weeks at the least?" asked Blossom.

"If that's how long it would take, then so be it," Brick replied.

"And what do we do in the meantime?" asked Blossom.

"We will not engage those five until we complete the training!" Brick replied. "Unless they invade Townsville, we won't face them until we're ready."

"And if they did invade Townsville?" asked Blossom.

"What choice do we have?" Brick said. "We'll fight until we win, or until our very last breathe. And after that, we escape and find some other place to prepare."

"But…but…what about Citiesville?" asked Blossom.

"Citiesville is doomed!" Brick said.

"No it's not! There are millions more that is still alive in Citiesville!"

"So what? They're as good as dead!" Brick spat. "We can't do anything for them in the meantime!"

"But we can't just let them die!" Blossom countered.

"Look, I don't care if those imbeciles either rot in that island alive or are already in hell dead!" Brick replied. "As far as I'm concerned, our main job now is to defeat those five, and as of now, it will only do us harm if we tried to save those people in Citiesville. From now on, our duty is to save Townsville!"

Blossom stopped mid-air and stared angrily at Brick. "I can't believe you Brick! How could you be…be…be so heartless and cold? A lot of people died today, and I don't want more to die!"

"Look, I'm not bloodthirsty, but our priority is the defeat of those five! It's true that I don't care for the people of Citiesville and for the city itself, but I don't want Townsville to be destroyed, because it's my home too. Think of it this way. If we attack now and tried to save the people, we most probably would either be killed or captured, and if that happened, not only Citiesville, but the entire world would be at their mercy," Brick explained. "Sorry to sound so callous and coldblooded, but I'm a Rowdyruff, and that's just the way I am! And it's the cold hard truth."

"Well, you're right! But that doesn't mean I agree with you on all counts. I care for all those people. They have lives like you and me, you know," Blossom replied.

"I know. That is why in times like this, you must not let your heart rule your head. When fighting for your life against ruthless opponents, you musn't show any weakness or emotion, or your enemies would exploit it and use it to their advantage!" Brick lectured.

"I know it Brick! But just because I have to pretend to your enemies that you are cold blooded doesn't mean I have to be in real life!" Blossom countered. "Being warm-hearted and concerned with lives of people is what differentiates us from those like those villains we fought today!"

"Well, do you think I'm like them, since I'm also cold blooded?" Brick asked sternly.

"Six months ago, you were, but you've changed a lot. But you and your brothers still have a long way to go, Brick," Blossom explained. "Still, you've changed enough to make me have confidence in you as leader, Brick! But I still think you should have a better plan than leaving millions of Citiesvillians on the mercy of those five while we prepare!"

"Well, if you're so smart, tell me a better plan!" Brick challenged.

"Okay I will! We train for three days, that would give us enough time if we train hard enough to reach level 25. At that point, we will have become powerful enough to be able to win!" Blossom explained.

"But three days? We might lose, you know," Brick replied.

"And that's a risk I'm willing to take. Look, the sooner we strike and defeat those enemies, the more people we could save and the less suffering they would endure," Blossom argued.

"But what if we lose? Look, you're underestimating the power of those five. They easily tossed us like rag dolls even as we gave our best! No, I won't risk us having killed. When we battle those five monsters, it would only be as sure winners, or at least, to have the deck stacked in our favor. Because if we make a risk and we fail, then Towsville is screwed! If we strengthen ourselves as much as possible, then we would have less risk of ourselves being killed!"

"I don't like it! Many people will die!"

"Damn the people of Citiesville! And if we die, the rest of the world dies with us! We can't risk it!"

"I still am not convinced!" Blossom said.

"Well, how about this! I AM THE LEADER, AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" Brick shouted. "And I'll take responsibility of all those killed after this minute, just follow my goddamn orders! I promise you, we'll definitely kill those bastards and that bitch after I'm through with this!"

Blossom noted the irony of the situation. She used the exact same words when she was the leader of the alliance to force Brick and the boys to do her orders when they don't want to, and now he's using it against her. "Okay, I'll do it. I can only hope that you're right and I'm wrong."

"Good! And thanks. We'll hold another meeting in the house to discuss this with the rest of the team. Blossom, I want you to support me on this one."

"I supposed I might as well. But I'm only returning a favor since you never disobeyed me when I was the leader," Blossom replied. "Besides, even when you thought I was wrong, you still followed me. Well, I'll be a hypocrite if I didn't do as I preached." After that, they resumed their flight to Townsville.

* * *

Meanwhile…

In the skies above Citiesville

"Those dirty bitches and sons of bitches! I'm going to beat them like shit when I'm through with them!" Delta ranted.

"Yeah, let's go after them! We can lay waste to their precious little Townsville while we're at it!" Beta seconded.

"Calm down!" Epsilon advised.

"Calm down? Calm down! How could we calm…"

"Will you two blabbermouths shut up!" Cychaela shouted. "So what if they tricked us with a light show? We own them in a fight! They'll be back!"

"She's right you know," Alpha observed. "We can't chase them to Townsville. Our Master gave us explicit orders not to attack Towsville ever!"

"But what if they cooped themselves up in Townsville?" asked Beta.

"They won't!" Epsilon replied.

"And why not?" asked Beta. "They're probably shaking in their boots at us now!"

Epsilon just stared at him and said nothing.

"Hey, why don't you say anything?"

"There's nothing worth saying to idiots like you!" Epsilon said.

"The reason they won't hide out while we wreak havoc is because they, or the Powerpuff Girls at least, can't stand to see those people break their nails. No, they won't. They care too much. That would cloud their judgment. They would risk their lives to save a few thousand lives before they are prepared, and when they do, you know what'll happen. And besides, if Master's observations are correct, Blossom is the leader. She will order the rest of them to prematurely attack out of concern for these people, and we'll crush them. They neither have the patience nor the cold-blooded ruthlessness to do the necessary things to defeat us."

* * *

Meanwhile…

"That's odd," Dr. Edwards said to his friend, Professor Utonium, whom he invited that afternoon to his house. "Why the heck didn't the attack get mentioned in the news?"

"I don't know. Maybe Mayor Malarkey exaggerated the whole thing?" the Professor replied.

Before the doctor could say another word, the doorbell rang.

"Now who could that be?" asked the doctor as he went for the door.

It was a man in his late fifties, tall, have white hair, wearing a dirty suit with a dirty shirt and a red tie.

"Mayor Malarkey?"


	26. Making Plans and Bluffs

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 26**

**Making Plans and Bluffs**

Before I begin, I would like to announce something. As you know, there is a two month gap between Part II and Part III, between the defeat of Ckracknow and the challenge of Brick to Blossom, between chapter 21 and 22, with the defeat of Ckracknow happening of September, and Brick's challenge happening in December.

It's not really devoid of events. Two of my fics, "The Date", which happened in October, and "What is Buttercup's Plan" which I just completed, happened in early November. So if you want to find out what happened in the intervening months, read those two fics. BTW, those two fics are light-hearted and not serious compared to Allies and Rivals. Anyway, I earlier stated that those two fics are not a continuity of Allies and Rivals simply because I don't want to spoil the end of Ckracknow. Now that that's over, and I've finished those two fics, then I'm confident that I can tell it and not spoil anything.

Anyway, now that my shameless plug-in is over, here's what you've all been waiting for, chapter 26.

* * *

The City of Townsville was woefully ignorant of the situation in Citiesville due to the media blackout ordered by Mayor Malarkey.

That same mayor had managed to flee Citiesville by helicopter, and had just knocked on the doors of one of the former residents of his city.

"Mayor Malarkey?" Dr. Edwards said, astonished. "What's a piece of shit like you doing here? You know you're not welcome!"

The Professor had just joined the two men, when he noticed the two staring at each other. He immediately saw that there was hatred between the two, or at least they strongly disliked each other. He knew, since it was the same look Dr. Edwards gave him when the two were still bitter enemies six months before.

"Mayor, what are you doing here?" asked Prof. Utonium.

"Look, William, I know we have bad blood between us…"

"That's either Mr. Edwards or Dr. Edwards to you, mister. Only those who I don't hate have the privilege to call me by my first name, and you don't have the privilege!" Dr. Edwards said. "Bad blood, ha! I'll never forget what you did to me and my company during the first six months of this year!"

"William, what did he do to cause you to hate him so much?"

"That idiotic son of a bitch tried to take my company from me! He tried to close down my business and confiscated most of my property in Citiesville! Luckily, I was able to move most of my wealth and property to Townsville before he can do so," Dr. Edwards said.

"It's legal, and it's called 'eminent domain', and using such power, I can expropriate any property that would do good for Citiesville. We suffered a slump as a result of those Powerpuff Girls destroying our bridge, we needed extra revenue to prevent bankruptcy, and what better source of money there is than all your billions, Mr. Edwards?"

"You could've just asked," Dr. Edwards said. "Thank God I moved most of my assets to Townsville before you could take them. But you still threw me in jail for three days for no reason at all."

"True, but Pratter thought you evaded your taxes. Turns out that there was nothing to it. But, even if I did ask you, you won't give. Besides, the city would get more money by forcibly taking it from you than asking you. Pity that you moved most of your assets…"

Before he finished, the Mayor of Citiesville received a punch from the more than six-feet-tall Dr. Edwards in his face. He fell to the floor.

"How dare you strike the Mayor…"

Dr. Edwards looked at the Mayor with piercing eyes and obvious rage and anger, but calmed himself down. "Oh shut up! Obviously, you didn't come here just to insult us. Now what is the real reason you're here?"

"I should leave. You physically assaulted me, Edwards, but I need to tell you this. Five super-powerful beings attacked Citiesville. I don't know whether or not you received my earlier call for help, so I decided to go and check it up. I'm asking you, Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium, to send your sons and daughters to go to Citiesville, because now that my city's armed forces are gone, I know of no other who can defeat those evil teens."

"Well, if you put it that way, then I…" the Professor began, but his friend interrupted him.

"Why the hell should I save a city that treated me like shit?" the Doctor bitterly asked. "I should just let whatever is attacking your city do what it wants! Why shouldn't I leave that mass of junk metal and wood you call Citiesville to rot on their hell on earth?"

Mayor Malarkey looked directly at the eyes of Dr. Edwards, and despite all, was terrified. Behind the thick glasses, Dr. Edwards steely grey eyes beamed with anger and hatred, and the fact that the doctor was probably the single most powerful and richest man in Townsville, even more than Jay Mayor himself, made it scary.

"You can't do that! You can't just leave my people to die! You won't order your sons to just sit back? It's on your head!"

"Oh no? You know that I am not a goody two-shoes! Oh yes, I can tell Brick and his brothers just to sit back and relax and prepare instead to defend Townsville, and I would be laughing at your sorry little ass while I'm at it! And don't bother asking them yourself. My sons would commit suicide if I ask them, and they would eat my shit if I ordered them to!"

The Professor was shocked at Dr. Edwards words, but decided to let the two finish.

The Mayor sighed. He decided to swallow his pride. "What are your terms?"

"My terms?"

"Yes, what do you want in exchange for letting your sons save Townsville?"

"Okay. I want all my assets and property you seized while I was there restored!"

Julian Malarkey nodded.

"I want taxes on my property in Citiesville to be eliminated, or just exempt them if you don't want to abolish those laws."

The mayor only nodded.

"Okay, I'll give five billion bucks after the fight so you can rebuild your city. But after five years, after you recovered, I want you to give me ten billion dollars. Your city's GNP is 35 billion, so that wouldn't be too hard. And give fifteen billion to Townsville's treasury as thanks."

The Mayor flinched at the amount, but agreed.

"When the enemy is defeated, you and the entire city would formally thank me, the Professor, and our children by giving us your highest medals, the key to the city, and by having a ticker tape parade in our honor. And you and the entire citizenry of Citiesville will formally apologize to me for how I was treated in Citiesville, and apologize to the Professor and the Powerpuff Girls for the way you treated them when they went to your city!"

"But those girls destroyed our bridge!"

"I don't care. Accept it?"

The Mayor swallowed hard, but finally agreed.

"Good. Put that on paper and come back later so we could sign an agreement. I'll make sure the villains are defeated," Dr. Edwards ordered.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning with the papers," he finally said. The Mayor of Citiesville then departed.

"William, surely, you weren't serious when you told him you'll tell your sons not to save Citiesville if he didn't accept your terms?" the Professor asked.

"True. Even if the people of Citiesville are scum, they don't deserve to die like that. I would still order Brick and his brothers to save it. But I know that, and you know that, but he doesn't know it. It's called, bluff. And he took it!" the doctor said.

* * *

Later…

A red helicopter slowly hovered down on a flat surface of one of the tallest skyscrapers in Citiesville.

It was three in the afternoon, and the sun, though unseen in the overcast skies above the city, was near the horizon, ready to set in an hour or so. From the same clouds came the heavy snow which covered the entire city and increased the misery of the remaining people. The bridge was demolished. And the weather, though cold, was not cold enough to completely freeze the lake around the city for people to pass through it, but cold enough to create floating blocks of ice. The result was a dangerously cold lake that would kill almost all but the healthiest people in a few minutes. If you didn't die from cold, you would have died if your head collided with the floating ice in the lake.

Most of the boats and the fishing ships were destroyed. As a result, the people of Citiesville were stuck in their city, their island, and their misery.

The helicopter landed on the skyscraper, and the sound of the blades rotating faded as the engine died and the helicopter touched down the landing strip. Soon, a small man with blond hair wearing a pin stripe suit went out. Five teen-agers, four boys and a girl, standing straight, greeted the man.

The five bowed as the man from the helicopter embarked. "Master, Citiesville is yours," the boy who was the second to the tallest with silver hair, Alpha, said.

"Ah, my confidence in you five is justified," Ferguson Ckracknow said, with a grin while shaking the hands of the leader. "And the Ruff-Puff Alliance?"

"Well, sir, they escaped," Alpha said. "I'm sorry!"

"But we'll rip their hearts out, literally, when we take them on!" Beta shouted. "Sir, pretty soon you'll see their guts scattered all over the city!"

"Yeah, we were kicking their asses, so they ran with their tails between their legs," Cychaela proclaimed. "Too bad they had to resort to dirty tricks like this ball to temporarily blind us! If we had shades, we would have roasted them up and you'd be looking at a table full of Puff and Ruff-ka-bobs skewered on a stake!"

She then showed Ckracknow the small ball with a button.

"Oh yes, the sunball. This damned ball was what caused those fools to defeat Two. Anyway, here's some shades. We'll see how this works.

The five each got one shade and Ckracknow pressed a button and dropped it on the floor of the skyscraper.

However, instead of a blinding light that all of them expected, they instead heard a voice.

"Hi. I'm William Edwards, inventor of the sunball, and you are not authorize to use this device!" a recorder said.

"Why you, I'll crush you," Delta shouted at the ball.

"Hush Delta, don't destroy it. I'll study it so we can replicate it," Ckracknow said.

"Aw, master, don't be a spoil sport!" Delta whined, but he picked up the ball and gave it Ckracknow.

"Hey Master, why not attack Townsville?" asked Alpha. "Let's finish this once and for all!"

"No! Don't attack Townsville!" Ckracknow firmly said. "They'll come back here soon, mark my words, and when they do, you know what to do!"

"But sir," asked Beta, "did we do good? I mean we let them escape."

"Yeah, but we did kill five hundred thousand people this day, surely that must count?" asked Cychaela.

"Yes, you did," said Ckracknow. "Even if you failed to kill them, their day will come! Besides, killing one tenth of this city's population in an hour isn't bad. We already know that they are no match against you. I created you five, after all, to be much more powerful than Two, and certainly more powerful than those six kids. First…"

"I know, I know, you told us a thousand times. Not only are we more powerful, but we are excellent at teamwork," Beta said.

"Well, sir, since you said that we have done good, let's celebrate! I'll get the wine!" Cychaela said. Before Ckracknow could protest, she zoomed off into the city.

"I'll get the tables and chairs," Delta followed, and zoomed off.

"I'll get the popcorn, hotdogs and hamburgers," Beta said before zooming off. "Be right back!"

That left Epsilon, the six-foot-five muscled man who said absolutely nothing since Ckracknow arrived, and Alpha, the six-foot-two leader of the team.

"Sorry for that," Alpha apologized. "Those three sometimes get too rowdy and can't be controlled. But don't worry sir, in battle, they are absolutely reliable."

"Never mind that. I want you to find a TV studio. I want to make an announcement," Ckracknow said. "The world needs to know what happened here."

"Okay, sir," said Alpha.

"Epsilon, please silence those noises," Ckracknow asked, referring to the weeping, crying, shouting and booing in defiance from the people who gathered at the base of the skyscraper.

Those sounds turned into screams and pleas for mercy as Epsilon descended on them, ruthlessly slaughtering them all.

Before Epsilon could finish, Cychaela returned carrying a large box the size of small car. "Ha, now we have enough wine and beer to drink ourselves dead!" the beautiful teen proclaimed. "Look, I even brought us cups! Aren't I fast?"

"Yes Cychaela, we all know that you were the fastest. Now could you help Epsilon disperse the noisy crowd below?"

"Right on it," she said. She gently put down her load and joined Epsilon

A few minutes later, they returned.

"Sir, you should have seen me! Ha, I totally made them pee in their pants," Cychaela boasted. "I even killed more than Epsy here!"

"Don't call me Epsy, only Epsilon," he gruffly said.

"Don't be too serious, Epsilon! After all, we own this city, and nobody can do anything about it!" Cychaela replied.

Soon, Beta, Delta and Alpha returned. They quickly celebrated, eating the food Beta brought on the table Delta stole. Soon, Beta, Delta and Cychaela got drunk and collapsed. Alpha and Ckracknow, though drinking heavily, remained sober and clear headed, while Epsilon just drank soda.

Ckracknow went into the top floor, just below the celebrating super teen villains, and just out of earshot. He took his cell phone, and made a call.

"Hello," Spencer Morebucks answered.

"It's me Ckracknow! I want to ask you to consider your opposition to invading Townsville. I mean they were already beaten, all we need to finish them is to take the fight to their own homes!"

"Look, Ckracknow, we already discussed it. Yes, I want Dr. Edwards dead because he still has that information on that monster hide that I want that you still didn't get! I want the Rowdyruff boys dead because I can't get near Edwards with those boys! And I want the Powerpuff Girls dead because my they are rivals to my daughter Princess for the affection of some boys I don't know!"

"So you'll let my teens invade Townsville?" Ckracknow hopefully asked.

"Look, I've said this before and I'll say this again! Don't invade Townsville! Look, when you were first defeated, when there were no monster attacks, profits for my company increased more than 100%! Now Edwards increased his output more that that, but the point is, it also increased mine. Now, I'm a businessman! If you invade, it'd probably hurt my business and even bankrupt me! And my home and all my properties are in this city, and they would be destroyed if Townsville becomes a battlefield. No, Ckracknow, don't invade. If you do, you will pay!" Spencer Morebucks ranted, then hung-up the phone.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom and Brick had just arrived from the fight. Both leaders have solemn expressions on their faces as they arrived home. Carrying their fallen siblings, they quickly but gently laid them on a couch. Their fathers quickly took care of them while the two redheads explained what happened.

Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium were shocked.

"So that's what Malarkey was talking about," Dr. Edwards said.

"So what are you kids planning?" the Professor asked.

"Well, we plan to train. I want to say that, well, they kicked our asses. They're stronger, faster, and more powerful than us. We're sorry for failing," Brick said. "It's my fault, but I promise you, next time, we'll defeat them."

"We plan to train until we think we can take them on," Blossom said. "We can only hope they don't attack us here because if they do, then it's over."

* * *

Later that night…

Bubbles slowly woke and scratched her head as she rose from her bed. She looked around, and saw Boomer asleep besides her. Buttercup and Butch was asleep in another bed. She looked at herself, and noticed she was wearing a white gown. Around the room was some medical equipment. It was a scene that reminded her of two similar scenes four months ago in August when they were defeated and rendered unconscious. The difference was that before, the Rowdyruff Boys were their mortal enemies, now they were their allies. How things change.

Immediately, she remembered what happened. She saw Blossom floating besides the bed, looking at her, and she immediately hugged her tightly.

"Oh Blossom, it was horrible! All those dead people…what would now happen…what do we do?" she said while burying her head on Blossom's shoulder and crying. "Why are they so evil Blossom? Even Mojo didn't kill that many people, did he?"

"Oh Bubbles, it would be alright," Blossom said. "I saw it too, you know. I was with you. You're right. Those five who did this have no heart! They are evil beyond comprehension!"

"Aw stop your bawling," Boomer, who had woken up, complained. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"

"Boomer, how can you say that when so many people are dying right as we speak?" Bubbles shouted. "Please tell me that you're still the nice young boy that I knew these past few months?"

"Look, Bubbles, I'm sorry, but why cry? Crying won't kill those five teen-agers you know? Crying is a sign of weakness, Brick and Dad always say," Boomer said.

Blossom was about to scold Boomer but Bubbles pre-empted her.

"Boomer, crying isn't weakness," Bubbles explained. "In fact, crying is a sign of strength!"

"Aw you're nuts!" Boomer said. "Anyway, where are my clothes? Dad!"

He then hopped off the bed.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Blossom.

"I'm going to go to ask Dad where he put my clothes," Boomer said.

"Hey wait for me!" Bubbles shouted as she quickly grabbed Boomer's hand.

"If you want to go with me, do you have to hold my hand?" Boomer said while trying unsuccessfully to remove himself from Bubbles' grip.

"Yup! And I won't let go of you until…well, until I decided to!"

"Arrgghhh, you drive me nuts!"

"I know Boomie! And I know you like it!"

"Okay, you can go with me, even touch me, but keep quiet or I'll tie you to a post and gag you!"

Bubbles just giggled and Boomer had to go around the house with an annoying Bubbles at his side.

* * *

Back at the medical room…

"Huh! Where's that teen-ager? Let me at her! I'll…" Buttercup ranted as she suddenly woke up and rose.

"Easy Buttercup. We're at Townsville, at Dr. Edwards' house," Blossom explained.

"Oh. Well, Blossom, have you ever seen the carnage? It's terrible, Blossom. I feel sorry for all those people!" Buttercup said.

"Me too. Events like this reminds us, sadly, that such evil exists, but until today, until I saw on my own eyes the death and destruction at Citiesville, I did not realize the extent of the depravity of evil."

"Yeah. So when do we fight?"

"In your case, you should probably keep your head under the sand," Butch, who had woken up, said.

"Shut up!" Buttercup replied to Butch.

"Well, make me!" Butch replied.

Buttercup covered Butch's mouth with her hand.

Butch rapidly pushed Buttercup away as he stood up. "Don't touch me!"

"Believe me, I'd rather touch a pile of manure than touch you," Buttercup replied.

"Buttercup, I think the Professor is calling," Blossom, who sensed the increasing tension, said. She then dragged Buttercup away from the room to prevent a fight between Butch and Buttercup from occurring.

* * *

Still later, the Professor, Dr. Edwards, Blossom, Boomer, Buttercup, Brick, Butch and Bubbles were in the living room. Brick was standing before all of them while the rest were sitting on couches to listen as he explained his plan.

"When do we attack?!" Butch shouted at his brother.

""Yeah, we can't sit around here! Nobody kicks the Rowdyruff Boys around and lives to tell about it!" Boomer declared.

"Well, we kicked you around, but we sure aren't dead," Buttercup countered.

"That's because we kicked your asses until you cried uncle!" Butch replied.

"Will you guys stop fighting?" Bubbles asked. "I think we should all work together to defeat the new monsters. All in all, we should be thinking not of ourselves, but of those poor people whom are now trapped in that island."

"Look, I couldn't care less if those sons of bit-" Butch began, but was interrupted by Brick.

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!" Brick shouted.

Immediately, the room fell silent as all concerned, even the two scientists looked at the new leader of the Ruff Puff alliance.

"Today, we're confronted by something unknown," Brick began. "Here's what we know. They are five. They are more powerful than us. Four of them are boys, one is a girl. And they are superb fighters. Other than that, nothing, zilch, zero. And they still think Blossom is leader."

"So here's my plan," Brick continued. "We go and train, until we reached the level 40, unless I order otherwise. You will, no matter how much you're provoked, never ever directly confront any of the five, unless you have a deathwish. And anybody who disobeys my order will be given the usual punishment. He or she'll be tied-up and gagged for three hours, and tickled. Any questions?"

"Yes Bubbles?"

"Um, how long would it take us to reach level 40?" she asked.

"Well, we are at level 17, since we didn't train at all during the two months of peace," Brick said. "So all in all, it'd take about one and a half week at the least."

"One and a half week! But that's too long! Why can't we attack sooner?" Buttercup violently objected. "Many people would die if we wait too long!"

"Because if we did that, we'd be the ones who'd be dead in turn because we'd be too weak!" Brick countered. "And if that happened, Townsville would be at their mercy!"

"Hey, I think we should watch the news," suggested the doctor. "Maybe we can find something more about those five."

They watched the news. But there was no mention of the attack on Citiesville, except for one thing.

"This is Dan Williams, working for Townsville Network TV. For some reason, thousand of the citizens of Citiesville are migrating to Townsville. When asked, they said they lived in the suburbs in the mainland opposite the city, and fled when the bridge was mysteriously cut and some people who managed to swim from the island talked of flying monsters."

Suddenly, the screen was cut short when an image of a small blond man appeared on TV. Besides him were what appeared to be five teen-agers.

"Ckracknow!" the Professor exclaimed.

"What is that Trucknow up to?" asked the Doctor.

"Dad, those were the ones we fought!" Butch said. "Those teen-agers!"

"Wow, even though they're evil, those teen-agers aren't that bad-looking at all!" Blossom said.

"Typical of girls to drool over those," Brick remarked. "Don't tell me you'll try to change them for the good and marry them!"

"No, you're wrong!" Blossom said, blushing. "Those guys deserved to be locked up on cells where they can't escape and you should bury the key in the lowest depths of the Marianas Trench!"

"Hello. My name is Ferguson Ckracknow," the talking head at the TV began. "I am the new ruler of Citiesville! To prove it to you, let me show you some images."

"This afternoon, while five million citizens are at the city on the island of Citiesville at work, at school, or just waiting for the first snow of winter, my five teens attacked and took over the city. I won't narrate it, since these videos are proof enough."

The images of the TV changed from that of Ckracknow speaking, to that of scenes all too familiar to the Ruff-Puff Alliance.

The scene changed to that of a crowd celebrating under the shadow of the skyscrapers, the scene of Beta shooting large beams at the base of two skyscrapers filled to capacity by people working, and the scene where the skyscrapers crashed into the crowd. The screams, the shouts, the cries of the crowds could be clearly heard. The destruction, the carnage, the blood could be clearly seen.

The Powerpuff Girls were aghast. Though they had seen it with their own eyes before, they still were not emotionally prepared for what they saw on television. Bubbles was once again reduced to tears, crying at the Professor's shoulder. Buttercup, though considered the toughest of the girls, lost it, and sobbed at the Professor's stomach, unable to watch the TV. Blossom, feeling the need, as leader of the Powerpuff Girls, just stood there, her eyes fixed on the TV, but with tears streaming down her cheeks like water from a leaked pipe, feeling sorry for the people at Citiesville. Her heart was yearning to go and deliver them from their misery, but her head knew that Brick was right, that they need to become at least as powerful as their opponents.

Dr. Edwards and the Professor were shocked by the scene. They had no idea that it had been that terrible. They had imagined that the attack had been like the attacks of Townsville. But the sight of it incensed them.

"In all my forty years, I have never seen so much barbarity, and believe me, I have seen much," Dr. Edwards said. 'No wonder that Malarkey looked the way he did. To go through that. I almost felt sorry for how I treated him. Almost. But I'll make sure my sons will save that city.'

The Professor himself just stared at the screen with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and anger.

The Rowdyruff Boys were less emotional, but they too, had their eyes were glued on the TV. Though they generally don't care for the lives killed at Citiesville, they were still revolted by the sight. Brick had a look of grim determination, his mouth twisted into a frown. 'I'll kill those bastards,' he thought. Boomer stared at the TV, wanting to disbelieve what his eyes were telling him. It was so terrible. Though Boomer wasn't exactly as innocent as Bubbles was, he was just as aghast!

Butch didn't care at all, though he was flabbergasted at the extent of violence.

The scene on the TV changed to the destruction of the bridge, and the slaughter of thousands of citizens.

"All in all, five hundred thousand people died because of me," Ckracknow's voice suddenly said, gloating about it. Then, the scene changed to that of Ckracknow speaking.

"Let me at him!" Buttercup shouted, and nearly destroyed the TV but Blossom tackled her. Butch and the others soon helped Blossom hold Buttercup.

"Let me go! That piece of manure will taste my knuckle sandwich!" Buttercup shouted, with rage filling her eyes.

"Look Buttercup, I too would like to send him to hell, but now we can't. We're too weak!" Blossom said.

Bubbles sorrow turned to anger, and she attempted to fly by herself to the city, but she was caught by Brick.

"Let me go Brick! I want to save those people! I want to save them! They don't deserve it! Please!"

"Bubbles, you'll only get yourself killed!" Brick said.

"But we need to teach them a lesson, we need to save them, we need to save them! I feel sorry for them!"

"Bubbles, that's enough," Brick said, shaking her by the shoulder. "We'll deal with them, but not now. Patience, Bubbles. Now go back in the chair and watch the rest of the show."

A still sobbing but cowed Bubbles went back to the couch.

As if to prove Blossom and Brick's point, the scene in the TV changed.

"Ah, perhaps you think that the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys will save you," Ckracknow said. "Hate to break your hearts, but they have no chance. To prove this, I'll show you a video from the fight."

The scene showed the fight, and it showed to the ruff-puff Alliance how one-sided the fight really was. From the TV, they realized how badly mismatched they really were. It finally sobered Buttercup and Bubbles and put some sense into them.

Still, it provoked the wrong emotions from Brick's brothers.

"Nobody shows publicly a video of us being humiliated and gets away with it! Let me at him!" Butch shouted.

"Yeah, they will pay!" Boomer shouted.

Soon, both of them attempted to fly but Brick stopped them.

"Look, I'm telling you not as your brother, but as your leader. Don't do it! That is an order!"

Brick and his two brothers had a staring contest, but they soon blinked and went back to the couch.

"Now you see how outmatched we really are!" Brick shouted.

"Now, let me introduce my minions," Ckracknow on the TV said. "This is the leader, Alpha! And this is Beta! Cychaela! Delta! And Epsilon!"

The camera panned on their faces as Ckracknow said their names.

"So Ckrackclown names his clones not by numbers but by Greek alphabets?" Dr. Edwards sneered. "From One, Two to Alpha and Beta? And what's with name of Cychaela? What was he drinking when he thought of the name?"

"Maybe he's not drinking," the Professor said. "Maybe he's on crack!"

"Now, I have a message to the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys. If you think you can huddle away in your precious little Townsville, well consider this. "

"For every hour that you do not show yourselves so you and my five teens could settle the fight, I shall have one citizen of Citiesville killed, right in front of the camera, in front of a national audience," Ckracknow threatened. "I think I'll start now. Bring her in."

A guard then dragged a pregnant woman on the set, about 26 years old.

"Cychaela, finish her off," he said.

Despite the pleas of the woman, Cychaela shot a laser from her finger at the stomach, killing both the baby and the mother instantly.

"And every hour that you don't show your face, I shall pluck one among the 4.5 million people still surviving and kill them in front of the cameras. Remember, the lives of these men, women and children lies in your hands. The sooner you get here, the sooner the killings would stop," Ckracknow said.

"Now I have this for the people of Townsville. I'll be frank. Townsville is next! Now, if you want your city to be spared the fate of Citiesville, you should do this."

"If the Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff Girls refuse to go here, then go and destroy their homes. Raze their houses brick by brick, and tear it with the fury of a tornado! And I know you can't kill the boys and girls, so I'll give you an alternative. Kill their parents—Dr. William Edwards and Professor Utonium, and deliver their decapitated heads to me. If you do that, then I won't destroy or invade Townsville! If you don't, on a date only I know, I'll invade Townsville and make it even worst of a hellhole than Citiesville!"

"And before I go, I would like to declare all the remaining 4.5 million citizens in this island my property, my slaves, to do with them as I pleased. Goodnight!"

The transmission then went off.

Dr. Edwards then went and switched off the TV. "I should have shot him when I had the chance! To think I could have done that on that island off the coast of Oregon! I think we better prepare. Sooner or later, the fainthearted among us would march here to try to burn this house and kill John and me."

"I think the girls and I better get back home. We gotta protect it from those who might destroy it!" the Professor said.

"No John, no. We must stay together through this. I suggest we stay here because we have more of everything here. I'll talk to the Mayor Jay Mayor so that the police would protect your house."

"I'll just get the things of the girls," the Professor said.

* * *

"This changes nothing," Brick said to the other kids. "You are not to go and confront Ckracknow under any circumstance, no matter how many he kills until we complete our training. Ckracknow knows that if we complete this, we can easily wipe the floor with them. No, we must not let our emotions rule our heads. I know that the images of people being killed is horrible, but bear in mind, we can only avenge them if we're strong enough."

"We gotta attack sooner!" Buttercup said. "What if, when we finally are ready, they are all dead, and we have nothing to save?"

"Then we still have Townsville. Like I said before, Citiesville is doomed!" Brick countered.

"But we can't just…" Bubbles pleaded.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, blame me for the deaths of those people and I'll take responsibility, but I want you to follow me in this crisis, just as you promised that you would if I won last week's election. And I won't tolerate insubordination!"

"But what if he attacks Townsville before we're ready?" asked Bubbles.

"We can only hope that they don't, because if they do, then it's over," Brick said.

"What, you don't have a plan? What kind of a…" Buttercup ranted, but Brick cut her off.

"LOOK, I AM THE LEADER OF THIS ALLIANCE, AND AS SUCH, YOU WILL FOLLOW MY ORDERS TO THE LETTER AS YOU SAID YOU WOULD! I HAVE A PLAN THAT WILL DESTROY THEM SO STOP WHINING!" Brick shouted.

"Blossom, he can't…"

"Buttercup, drop it. He is the leader, and I expect you to follow him," Blossom said. "Besides, he's right. If we attack now, we're only going to get ourselves killed."

"Okay you're right!" Buttercup said. "But that doesn't mean I'll like it! Brick, don't let us down!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Sir that's brilliant!" Delta congratulated. "But are we going to attack Townsville?"

"Nope, I won't invade. You know that, and I know that, but those people at Townsville don't know that. That speech of mine will keep them at their toes and draw them here before they are ready, then we crush them!"


	27. The Spy

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 27**

**The Spy**

The City of Towsville, and the citizens were in near-panic after Ckracknow's televised announcement. Citizens, fearing an attack, began packing, especially after they saw the ruffs and puffs get tossed around like rag-dolls. Like the fickle crowd that they were, they forgot in their fears the numerous times in the past that the Powerpuff Girls, and more recently, the Rowdyruff Boys, had saved the town against even the most impossible odds. They were afraid, deathly afraid. Ckracknow's hidden deadline only exasperated them and drove them to near desperation.

A large crowd had gathered in front of city hall in order to demand action, or at least to seek guidance from the man whom they elected repeatedly for the last forty years to be the mayor of Towsville, Jay Mayor.

Ms. Bellum, the secretary, assistant, and ultimately, the reason of the success of Mayor Mayor, was in the phone talking to Dr. Edwards.

"How are they?" asked Ms. Bellum. "Will the kids be all right?"

"They'll be fine," the Doctor assured. "They've just recovered."

"Thank God! Just one more thing. Can the kids beat Ckracknow and his henchmen?"

"I'll be honest with you, Sarah. No. Not at the moment. The kids are weak compared to those five teen-agers. But don't worry. They'll train, and when they're ready, they'll kick their asses and save not only Towsville, but also that godforsaken place they call Citiesville!"

"How long would the training take?" asked Sara.

"About a week and a half!"

"A week and a half! But what of those people Ckracknow will kill in the meantime?"

"Sorry Sara. There's nothing we can do for the moment for those people," Dr. Edwards said. "Citiesville is doomed. To attack now would be suicide, and to do so would leave Townsville to the mercy of Ckrackling's goons."

"Um William, I think it's Ckracknow, not Ckrackling."

"Whatever, the other point is, we just have to hope that, whatever Trucknow's deadline is, he won't attack before the kids are ready," Dr. Edwards said.

Ms. Bellum, though afraid of the answer, nevertheless asked the question. "And what if, for example, Ckracknow's deadline is tomorrow, or any other day before the kids are ready to face them?"

"We can only hope that isn't the case, because if it is, then I dare say, Towsville is doomed!"

There was silence for a few minutes on the phone as Ms. Bellum contemplated the gravity of Dr. Edwards's words.

"What am I going to let the mayor say to the people? If they learn the truth, they'll panic! They might even mob your house and try to kill you and John! You know how fickle the people are, William?"

"Yeah. Well, I don't know, Sara, I really don't know. You're the mayor's assistant, spin the truth! Make something up! I don't know, just don't make them panic, or it will be worse"

"Well, thanks William."

"You're welcome."

Ms. Bellum put down the phone to think. She then noticed the mayor was not in his seat. She then looked below his desk where he saw the tiny old man, hiding and shivering out of fear.

"Is he here? Ckracknow? Oh please tell me he's not here! Save me, Ms. Bellum, save me from those Monsters! Oh the horror, the horror!"

"Um, Mayor, they haven't invaded yet," Ms. Bellum said.

"Oh thank God. Um, could you open the pickle jar Ms. Bellum?"

"Sir, I don't think we have time for that! A crowd outside has gathered and…"

"An, so the crowd will open my pickle jar?"

"No."

"Really, then if they're not here to help me open my pickle jar, then why are they coming here?"

"Sir, they want reassurance that Ckracnow and his five monsters…"

"Ckracknow! Hide me, Ms. Bellum! I'm too young and smart to die!"

The mayor then hid in one of the king size drawers of his desk and trembled.

"Sir, they're not here," Ms. Bellum assured, sighing.

"They're not? Good. We can then discuss how to open my pickle jar!"

'This is going to be a long night,' Ms. Bellum thought as she shook her head.

* * *

Later…

One hour later, the Mayor accompanied by Ms. Bellum finally emerged from the inside of city hall. The small man stepped into the podium.

The crowd that had gathered before City Hall was as large a crowd that could be packed in front of the building. If one were to count it by the head, one could say that there were probably one hundred thousand men, women, children gathered before the building, united in their fear of destruction, plus TV Cameras recording the event on tape.

The crowd cheered and applauded as the mayor appeared, and all eyes gazed upon him as a kindly grandfather, the kind that will comfort the city in its direst hour. Their ears are now on the Mayor's, eager for any reassurance that surely this old man who had guided the city for forty years can give?

The crowd, in this desperate hour, forgot all the previous transgressions and humiliations that the mayor had brought upon the city before, and how could they not? In the end, everything was alright, nobody died, and alls well that ends well.

"Good citizens of Towsville, we have seen what had happened to that City we call Citiesville, but rest assured, that Towsville is better than Citiesville, and we won't suffer the same fate," the mayor, reading a prepared speech, said.

"Yeah, but what of Ckrackkow and those five super teens!"

"Yes, I'm getting to that," the Mayor said. "Before, as always, the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys will save the day!"

"But those five kicked their asses! We all saw it on TV," one citizen shouted.

The crowd roared their agreement.

"Well, um, they were fakes! Ckracknow made up the tapes just to scare them! In actuality, those boys and girls can whip them right now with one hand tied behind their backs!"

Ms. Bellum could be seen behind the mayor with her head buried in her hands, shaking her head in disapproval. 'This is bad. This is really bad."

The crowd just stood there silently for a few seconds.

"Yeah, you're right! Nothing could defeat them! That tape is just a fake!"

The crowd roared in agreement, as the city, or at least those that were in the meeting, regained its faith in its heroes.

"Now go back to your homes and live as before," the Mayor announced.

The cheerful crowd cheered before dispersing and going back into their homes, with all thoughts of leaving and panicking banished into the air.

Not all people, however, were convinced. Especially the refugees from Citiesville who actually saw the battle and knew it was no fake videotape.

* * *

The next day, December 12…

The kids were beginning their training at Dr. Edwards' lab, with the Professor supervising, or at least observing. The Professor and his three daughters had temporarily moved in to Dr. Edwards's house, as the doctor had previously requested so that they could stay together in the present crisis. They packed all their clothes, plus their Christmas Tree and all wrapped presents, so there were two Christmas Trees in the Edwards's home.

Dr. Edwards was at his home office, working at home, looking at some emails from his subordinates and pouring over business documents. Even at home, he still wore the formal suits, hats and ties he always wore at work.

When suddenly, he heard a knock from his front door.

William Edwards walked and checked the security camera to check on whether the comer is a threat.

It was a handsome young man, about twenty-two, with brown hair under a hat not unlike that worn by Dr. Edwards. He wore a blue suit, with a red tie, a dark coat over it, and carried a briefcase.

Dr. Edwards then opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Hi! I'm Harry! Please to meet you sir," the young man greeted and extended his hand to shake.

"Harry what?"

"Harry Shippe, sir," the young man answered.

Dr. Edwards shook the young man's hand. "Well Mr. Shippe, what do you want?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could work as your clerk?"

"I already have a clerk, and his name is Mr. Clark."

"Well, sir, I could be a secretary?"

"Now why would I want a secretary?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Well, if you wanted someone to encode all your documents, plan your schedule, and such, then I'm your man!"

"Sorry, but…"

"Sir, here is my resume! I graduated from Harvard _cum_ _laude_ with a degree in accountancy just this summer," said the young man.

"Harvard eh? Well, Mr. Shippe, I'm from Citiesville University and graduated twelve years ago!" the forty-year-old Dr. Edwards said. "Like I said, I don't want…"

"Sir, I am a spy from Ckracknow, and I came here to serve as a double agent for you. All I ask is employment, sir," the young man said.

At first, Dr. Edwards thought that Mr. Shippe was joking, but the look on Harry Shippe's face belied this.

"You're not joking, are you, Mr. Shippe?"

"No sir, Dr. Edwards," the young man replied.

"We better discuss this inside," said the doctor.

He pulled Mr. Shippe inside his house. They went to the living room, where they resumed their conversation. "Okay, Mr. Shippe, tell me who you really are and why are you doing this?"

"My real name is Forty-Five, but I go by the name of Harry Shippe. I am a clone created by Ckracknow, but I was given normal eyes and a personality so I can blend in. I was sent to spy on you and your operations, to keep him informed on what you're up to. I decided to let him think I'm spying for him when I actually am spying for you, sir. Anyway, I have my own reasons for betraying Ckracknow that I do not wish to discuss."

"Seems fair enough. Okay, before I hire you, what information can you give me?"

"Don't tell this to anyone, but Ckracknow said that he has no plans to attack Towsville. The deadline is just a bluff. For some reason that even I can't find out, he won't attack Townsville no matter what. I've heard Alpha try to plead with him to attack Towsville after they defeated the Powerpuff girls and the Rowdyruff Boys. Alpha's right, you now, sir. If Alpha and his siblings attacked now, it would all be over."

Dr. Edwards was flabbergasted at the new piece of information.

"That information is a gold mine! Ha ha! Are you sure? This is too good to be true, Mr. Shippe!" an excited Dr. Edwards said.

"I assure you, Dr. Edwards, it's true. I can even show you a conversation in tape," offered Mr. Shippe. He took a recorder from the pocket of his coat and Dr. Edwards listened as Ckracknow made the order to Alpha not to attack Townsville and him explaining to Delta that he was just bluffing.

"Brick has got to hear about this!" Dr. Edwards exclaimed.

"Sir, I think its better that we keep this information to ourselves. I don't want Ckracknow to find out I've been spying for you," advised Mr. Shippe.

"Don't worry, Brick can be trusted! He's my son after all!"

"Um, sir, do I get the job? Of secretary I mean?"

"Well, I guess so. You will report at this house at seven in the morning. Your duties include filing my documents, encoding any needed papers, and arranging my busy schedule. Your salary would be $5,000.00 per week, before taxes. After this is all over, you'll be transferred as a clerk in one of my factories with the same salary, agreed?"

Harry Shippe could scarcely believe the size of his salary, but finally agreed after a minute of stupefied silence.

A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door.

"Yes? Ah, Mayor Malarkey of Citiesville!" Dr. Edwards greeted. "Do come in! May I introduce you to my new secretary, Harry Shippe?"

"Charmed," he gruffly said. "Now Mr. Edwards, here are the papers formalizing the deal we made yesterday. All it needed is our signatures, and that of the Mayor of Towsville."

Dr. Edwards took the paper and carefully read it, word by word, line by line-twice-the first time with his eyes, the second one aloud so Harry Shippe could learn about it.

"Everything seems in order, Mayor," Dr. Edwards said. "I think we should have our lunch first before we proceed, okay?"

"Well, one more thing. What the Mayor of this city said in his speech last night is complete bullsh!t!" Mayor Malarkey exclaimed. "What is with the so-called false video? I guarantee you, your kids' asses were kicked by those teens! The tape is as fake as the beard on Fidel Castro's face."

"I know that it was all lies, but hey, you gotta give people hope," the Professor, who had joined them, tried explaining. "What I'm surprised about is the gullibility of Towsville!"

"If those people could believe the words of Harold Smith, after all he's done, they could believe anything. After all, Mayor Mayor was re-elected time and time again!" Dr. Edwards exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The kids had been training non-stop since four in the morning, and they had made progress. Whereas they are only had reached level 17 when they woke up at dawn, at twelve noon, they had reached level 19.

The kids trained hard. The girls were motivated to reach the top level because they wanted to end all suffering in Citiesville, while the boys just wanted to beat the five.

It was noon, and the kids had taken a beating during the morning. As before, they mainly used simulated versions of themselves, of monsters, the difference being that the simulations inflicted more painful attacks. They had beaten two levels of intense training, but they were also beaten up, with scars and bruises throughout their body, with their clothes torn at several places.

They were slowly floating towards the kitchen. Brick floated last, with Blossom next to last. Boomer and Butch led the team as they were very hungry, followed by Bubbles and Buttercup. Brick took Blossom's hair, and pulled her to a corner, using his other hand to clamp Blossom's mouth so she wouldn't scream.

"What?" asked Blossom after pulling Brick's hand from her mouth the hair. She was surprised when Brick yanked her by the hair to a corner. "We don't have time to play you know."

"Look, I want to discuss something," Brick said. "It's very important. I don't want the Butch, Boomer, Bubbles and Buttercup to know about it."

"Do you have to yank me by the hair and cover my mouth like you were kidnapping me? You could've just pulled me by the shoulder!" Blossom complained

"Whatever! Look, I'm thinking we should shut down all television transmissions from Citiesville to Towsville. That way, the people of Townsville won't be treated to the horrid sight of one man being murdered in TV every hour. It's too gruesome, and it would sap the morale of the city!"

"Okay, two points, Brick. First, I agree. I don't think the death of those people should be carried live on TV. It's too barbaric! Even I couldn't bear to watch it. Yes, you should do it. Second, I don't think we should keep this from our siblings. You should be honest and tell them what you're doing."

"No, Blossom, you're wrong. My brothers and your sisters should not know that I was the one responsible for it. Just pretend to be surprised when the transmission will be cut off. That way, they wouldn't worry too much about the fate of those people dying every hour while they train! And we're not even done with the people of Towsville yet! Ckracknow won't be able to scare the people of this city the way he did last night if he can't talk to them by TV."

"What? I don't think we should be deceive anyone else! I know this is a grim struggle but we shouldn't resort to dishonesty you know!"

"Lincoln lied to the people in the Civil War, and so did Roosevelt in the Second World War! And you're the one to talk about honesty when you're still lying about your associations about the monsters in Monster Island!"

"Well, okay, but I don't think we should keep it from Bubbles and Buttercup or your brothers."

"They might spill the beans."

"They won't!"

"You're not sure, and I won't risk it. And besides, in the words of the great Blossom Utonium, 'I am the leader and you will do as I say!'" Brick proclaimed.

"I knew I shouldn't have said those words to you when I was the leader," Blossom sighed. "Okay, you win."

"Let's tell Dad and the Professor and tell them about this," said Brick.

The two redheads went to the living room where they found four men. One was Dr. Edwards, the second Professor Utonium, the third is a much older man with white hair, and last is a much younger man with brown hair.

"Brick, Blossom, this is the Mayor of Citiesville, Julian Malarkey, and this is my new secretary, Harry Shippe?"

Brick just shook hands with both men, while Blossom greeted them, with a cold tone toward the Mayor, and warmer one with the secretary.

"Brick, Blossom, could we talk to you in another room? Mayor, could you excuse us? This is something private?"

The Mayor just nodded.

"Mr. Shippe, you come with us," Dr. Edwards said, after which he yanked the man by the arm, and the three men, one boy and one girl went to another room. There, Harry Shippe told the redheads all that he knew. At the end of it, both Brick and Blossom had very large grins on their faces.

"Yahoo! Towsville is saved!" Brick exclaimed, nearly shouting. Luckily the room was sound proof so nobody outside heard about it.

"Yup! Now we don't have to worry about them attacking before we're ready!" Blossom added, a heavy burden lifted from her shoulder.

Now that their biggest fear, that Ckracknow would attack Towsville before they were ready is gone, they could now plan with leisure without the fear of attack. Now the only thing they have to worry about is that Ckracknow would do something outrageous that would put out all reason from the kids and lead them to attack before they were ready.

"Well, I think we better tell the others about this. I mean my sisters and your brothers, not the people," Blossom suggested.

"No. I don't think we should tell them. We should keep this a secret," Brick advised. "Lest we risk Ckracknow knowing what we know. He's betting that we think that he'll attack, and it would rattle us. If he knows that we called his bluff, he might change his plans and who knows? Attack Townsville for real?"

"We already considered that, Brick," Dr. Edwards said. "But I don't think keeping it from the others is such a good idea. The people I understand, but your brothers?"

"Well, if they still think they might attack Townsville at any moment, then they'd train harder, is that what you're thinking, Brick?" the Professor asked.

"Yeah, and the fact is that they might accidentally spill the beans. You know, the more people knowing—the greater the possibility of it getting out. No, it's too much of a risk," Brick explained.

"Well, you're right, Brick. Okay, we keep this a secret from everybody else, including Butch, Boomer, Bubbles and Buttercup. You agree John?"

"I agree," the Professor sighed. "Even though I don't like keeping things, it is necessary."

"Okay. Now…"

"Um, Dad, can Blossom and I speak with you and the Professor in private?"

"Sure son! Mr. Shippe, could you excuse us?"

"Of course, Dr. Edwards," Mr. Shippe said as he left the room.

"Okay Brick, what is it?" asked his father.

"Well Dad, could you ask the broadcasters in Towsville TV station to block all broadcasts from Citiesville?"

"And why would we want to do that?" asked the Professor.

"Well, if you had watched Ckracknow's speech to the people, and how it caused the people to nearly panic, you'd get the idea of the impact of the media to the people. I don't want Ckracknow to scare the people. Who knows? If the Mayor didn't do his speech, those people may have razed this house," Blossom added. "The people should only know what they need to know, but no more, especially if they knowing it might be detrimental to our plans."

"Maybe you're right. But how do we find out what he wants the city to know if all of us can't watch? I mean censoring media for the people I can understand, but how about us? We still should know about it?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"Simple, Dad. We make it so that the transmissions from Ckracknow would be beamed to only one television in this house. It's like turning a public broadcast into a private one. Ckracknow will think that he is talking to all the people of Towsville, and terrorizing them, but in reality, he'd only be talking to us."

"Well, you've convinced me, Brick," the Professor said. "How about you, William?"

"I guess so," replied the doctor. "Anyway, I'm guessing you would want to keep this from your brothers and Bubbles and Buttercup?"

Brick nodded.

"Okay. This is a secret. I'll go this afternoon to the city to ask the men at the TV station to clamp their broadcasts," Dr. Edwards said.

After that, they went out, joined Mr. Shippe, Mayor Malarkey, Bubbles, Buttercup, Boomer and Butch, and ate lunch together.

* * *

After lunch, the kids resumed their training, while the men went out.

First, they went to Towsville Television station, where Dr. Edwards went alone to talk to the manager while the rest of them waited in the car. After one hour, Dr. Edwards angrily stormed out of the building, where, before going into the car, resisted the urge to turn around and shout obscenities at the building. His face was twisted into a rage, his eyes reeking with anger. He went into the car, and slammed the door so hard it nearly shattered the glass on the windows.

Professor Utonium immediately knew what happened, and he drove towards City Hall.

When they arrived, Harry Shippe, Mayor Malarkey, Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium went straight to the Mayor's office. The Mayor of Towsville, the Mayor of Citiesville and William Edwards signed the documents formalizing the deal between the doctor and the Julian Malarkey without much fuss, although Ms. Bellum was astounded by the terms.

After that, Mr. Malarkey and Mr. Mayor had a long chat in another room, or rather the Mr. Mayor talked about nonsense while Mr. Malarkey tried not to go mad listening to his gibberish. Mr. Shippe went to another room to give the others the privacy they desired.

That left Professor Utonium and Dr. Edwards with Ms. Bellum in the Mayor's office.

"Well, that was some speech by the Mayor! I never thought that the people would fall for it, but I should have learned before that you should never underestimate the stupidity of the people of Townville!" Dr. Edwards exclaimed. "Congratulations on that speech you wrote for the mayor."

"Yeah, that was pretty hilarious! I mean, what were you drinking when you wrote the part where the Mayor said that Ckracknow made up those tapes!" the Professor added.

Soon, both men were laughing about it.

"Good thing people are so gullible!" the doctor said

"Um boys, the Mayor just made it all up! I didn't write it in his speech!" the red faced Ms. Bellum said.

"He just made it up? Well, even though it's stupid, it worked! No wonder the Mayor kept getting reelected. In his stupidity and naivety, he seemed to have a special bond with the people!" the Professor wondered.

"Or, nobody bothers to run against him," Ms. Bellum said. "If somebody actually runs against him, he'll lose a landslide that we'll make Carter's 1980 defeat pale in comparison."

"Oh that's brutal," the doctor said. "But true. True indeed. What other city would elect a pink fuzzy hillbilly creature that can't even speak proper English who's not even a candidate that tried to destroy Towsville before as long as he's an alternative to Jay Mayor? Ha, it was hilarious when I read in the paper that a write-in candidate called Fuzzy Lumpkins won in a landslide!"

"And we all know what happened next!" the Professor said.

"But that said, at least the Mayor of this town ain't a bastard like that piece of shit they call Malarkey!" Dr. Edwards said.

"Anyway, is there anything else I can do for you?" asked Ms Bellum.

"Yes two things. First, I want the Mayor to shut down Towsville TV station," Dr. Edwards requested.

"And why should the mayor do that?"

"You know how fickle the people are! All that the people need is another speech from Ckracknow to turn them against us! You know what happened to Harold Smith! The less they hear from Ckracknow, the better. Besides, I don't like to make the deaths of those poor innocent people be broadcast live in Towsville! It's just wrong!" Dr. Edwards explained.

"Point taken. And your second request?"

"I want full emergency powers given to Brick. He will be given temporary command over the police and Townsville Military, plus the authority to do all that is necessary that might help the fight against Ckracknow."

Dr. Edwards's two companions looked at him utterly flabbergasted. "Surely this is a joke! You can't expect me to give your son dictatorial powers?" Ms. Bellum asked.

"On the contrary, I'm never been more serious in my entire life!" Dr. Edwards said. "Listen, it will only apply until Ckracknow is defeated. Second, anything he orders can be overturned either by me, or by the Mayor himself."

"Okay, but why?" asked the Professor.

"Simple. A little while ago, I requested that the TV executives shut down their station. Well, I explained to them why it is necessary, and they told me that unless I come back with an order from the Mayor, I should go to hell! Now, Ckracknow and his goons will try to lure the kids before they are ready, or at least make the people act against their own interests by scaring them. I want Brick, as the leader of both the Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff Girls, and the other kids to have the freedom to act for the best interests of Townsville."

"I don't know, Brick is just a kid…" Ms. Bellum said.

"Well, Brick is smarter than the Mayor of this city, and certainly more mature," Dr. Edwards said.

"True, but I still don't think it's such a peachy idea. You see, it was only a few months since Brick was evil. What if he abuses it?" the Professor began.

"Now stop right there! My son is not evil and he certainly will not abuse the power if you gave it to him! He is my son after all, and he won't do a thing that I don't want him to do. He will never disobey me! So not trusting my son is equivalent to not trusting me! Why, after our long association, and shall I say, long friendship, after all we've been through together, you're saying you don't trust me?"

"Of course we trust you, but…" the Professor began.

"Then it's settled! You'd give my son the power he needs to fight this battle!" Dr. Edwards asserted, pounding his fist on the table. "Look, I'll take responsibility if anything bad happens because of this. Throw me to jail, expropriate all my property if you please if it was a mistake, but please, give him the chance! Besides, I'll give two billion dollars to the city treasury as my contribution to this city of ours after this is all over if you give me my request."

The offer finally overcame Ms. Bellum's scruples. "Okay, you win. In exchange for the money, I'm going to agree to give your son having temporary authority over all that is necessary to fight this battle!"

"Thanks Sandra," the doctor said, shaking her hands. "I assure you that you won't regret this!"

The Professor was just amazed at his friend's ability to convince others. Of course, the fact that the doctor has almost unlimited cash also didn't hurt. But the fact was, even during Towsville's direst moments before, he never had sought such power for Blossom or any of his daughters. But that was because despite their close friendship, Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium were two very different individuals. Anyway, he trusted his friend to do the right thing.

At that moment, the two mayors burst into the room.

"Oh that was such a good conversation," the Mayor of Towsville said. "Especially about those pickles and pickle jars!"

"Yeah. Well, folks, I gotta go! See 'ya!" the Mayor of Citiesville said before leaving the building.

"Okay, call Brick and tell him to go here," Ms. Bellum instructed as soon as the mayor of Citiesville was gone.

The doctor just nodded as he called Brick by his watch. Even though Brick complained that it would take time from his training, he agreed to come. William Edwards also told his son to wear a suit.

Five minutes later, Brick arrived wearing a blue suit and red tie. He quickly removed his hat as he entered and faced the Mayor of Towsville, plus Towsville's three most powerful men and women.

"Yes Dad?"

"Ms. Bellum has something to tell you son," a grinning Dr. Edwards said.

"Well Brick, I'm going to ask you something," said Ms. Bellum.

"Okay. What is it?"

"Well Brick, what is your mission as part of the Rowdyruff Boys?"

"Well, to protect Townsville from all harm, to defeat all its enemies, and to serve and protect Dad and do all this that he commands me to do to the best of my abilities!" Brick curtly replied.

"That's good enough for me," Ms. Bellum said. "Well, you are thereby given the authority to command the police, the military, and the right to do all that is necessary to defeat our current threat, that mad scientist, Ferguson Ckracknow, and his five goons. Of course, all your orders and actions can be countermanded by your father or by the Mayor of Towsville if we choose so. Now do you accept?"

Brick was thoroughly surprised, and thoroughly delighted. He never asked for it, yet who could resist such an opportunity, especially someone who loves power as much as Brick? "Of course, can I make decisions without consulting you first?"

"Yes."

"I accept!" Brick said. "And thanks for the honor."

"Well, your son certainly is polite," Ms. Bellum said.

"What else would you expect from my son? I raised him for most of his life, you know!" Dr. Edwards boasted.

"Well, Brick, sign this. This document will formalize this arrangement," Ms. Bellum said giving Brick a piece of paper. It was signed by the Mayor of Townsville, Ms. Bellum and his father, with only a blank line for his name.

Brick carefully read the contents, and signed it plus a copy.

"Well, you better go back to training, boy," said his father. "You still have a lot of catching up to do with those five."

"Yes sir Dad!" Brick said as he zoomed out of City Hall and went back home, happy as a lark. Things were turning out to be so good!

* * *

Later…

Inside Citiesville, most of the people, well those who survived and were still trapped in the city, were trying to survive. Those survivors are utterly terrified. They don't know which among them would be next in the hour-by-hour live killings that Ckracknow conducted. They dreaded the time when the five would scour the city, and would randomly pick up any bystander that they fancied and bring them to the Citiesville TV studio. In addition, they regularly flew around the city to have some "fun".

Cychaela usually goes to the shopping malls to take and try different clothes and dresses, and would sometimes spend hours trying each and every one of them. Beta went and spent most of his spare time playing in the arcade, and gambling, though he had a habit of killing his opponents if he would lose. Delta spent most of his time looking for beautiful girls and violating them, while Epsilon just stood by Ckracknow and followed him wherever he went, acting as his bodyguard. Alpha spent most of the time in the City Hall, pouring over documents or reading books if not talking about plans his with Ckracknow.

A helicopter slowly descended at the top of one of the skyscrapers. At touchdown, a man with average height, brown hair stepped out. Harry Shippe went straight to Ckracknow's office, where he encountered him talking with Alpha about some plans and Epsilon standing besides them not saying anything.

"Ah Forty-five, or should I say, Harry Shippe! Harry boy, what have you found out?" Ckracknow asked.

"Well, we all know that Blossom is the leader, right?" Harry asked.

"We all know that, Harry," Alpha said.

"Well, they have a plan. They are going to pretend that Brick is leader when in reality, Blossom is the one who's going to call the shots."

"Now why would they want to do that?" asked Alpha.

"Well, we all know that Brick is a Rowdyruff, and he pretty much don't care about the lives of the people in this city. Well, by making us think he is the leader, they hope to convince us that they don't care how many we kill, that they won't come here prematurely! But we all know that Blossom is the one who's really in charge, and despite all of it, she can't stand people being killed!"

"That makes sense," Ckracknow said. "Anyway, how did they react to my announcement that I'll attack anytime soon, and they won't know the exact date?"

"They were scared stiff, sir! Ha, they're desperately hoping that you won't attack before they're ready! As a result, their training is much more rushed, and less effective. Not to mention the people of Towsville!" Harry boasted. "But they won't turtle up in Towsville. No sir, I've heard them talk, and they're too much concerned with all the people, that I'm definitely sure that they'll attack before they're ready. Blossom's conscience would see to that!"

"Well, any other thing you wish to share with us, Harry?" asked Alpha.

"Well, I got hired as a secretary to Dr. Edwards. That's the reason I'm privy to most of their secrets," Harry announced.

"Well done, Harry my boy! You certainly are a first-class-spy!" Ckracknow said before giving him a wad of bills worth $2,000.00."Take it, you've earned it! I think it's time we do another of those hourly live killings. Epsilon, prepare the next victim!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

The kids are having a break that afternoon. Their training was pretty brutal, and despite all exertions, they could not beat level 19. They were pretty much beaten up, but the rest and the Chemical X pretty much assured a quick recovery.

Brick, Boomer and Butch were playing dice, while Blossom was alone in a couch reading a book. She was envious of Brick's new powers over the city. She never had them when she was the undisputed leader. Bubbles was playing with a doll by herself, while Buttercup was nowhere to be seen.

Bubbles was just returning from the bathroom when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and taken to an empty room.

"Buttercup, don't do that ever again! I nearly had a heart attack you know!" Bubbles exclaimed after she removed her sister's hand from her mouth.

"Sorry about that," Buttercup apologized. "Anyway, I've come to ask you something."

"What?"

"Well, how about we go in Citiesville, and ferry some people away from that island?"

"Are you nuts Buttercup? Haven't you listened to anything Brick and Blossom told us? We can't go fight those five when we're not ready!"

"Easy there Bubbles, easy! Geez, if I didn't know better, I could've sworn you're Blossom or Brick by the way you just talked. Besides, I'm not stupid. I won't go and challenge them right now. It'd be suicide! What I'm proposing is that we sneak to Citiesville right under their noses, rescue a few hundred people from that island, and put them on the mainland. Besides, we won't let ourselves be caught."

"But I don't think we should go against Brick and Blossom," Bubbles said concerned.

"Well they said we shouldn't fight them head-on, but they didn't say anything about sneaking in and rescuing some poor defenseless citizens, now did they?"

"Well no, but…"

"And wouldn't you like to end the suffering of those people? Think Bubbles think! You'd be able to help them! Now! Not after a few weeks of training. We'd be able to make them happy again! If we did that, those whom we save wouldn't be worried about being killed by Ckracknow anymore!"

"Well, if you put it that way, then I'm in!" Bubbles conceded.

"Yeah!" Buttercup shouted. "Now let's go."

Buttercup and Bubbles sneaked out of the house through a window, unnoticed by anyone. The two puffs then flew at top speed towards Citiesville. When they arrived at the lakes edge, they dropped low so they would almost touch the water's surface when they crossed the lake. Soon they reached the edge of the city. Unfortunately for them, they bumped into someone before they could rescue a single soul. It was Beta, Cychaela, and Delta.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," Cychaela said.

"Looks like some sheep led to slaughter," Delta said. "What do you think Beta?"

"I think we should beat them up," said Beta.

"Always straight to the point, eh Beta?" Cychaela. "You're right though. Let's have some fun with these two!"

"What do we do, what do we do!" a terrified Bubbles exclaimed, knowing that they couldn't outrun those three, let alone beat them. "Buttercup, what do we do?"

"This is not good. This is so not part of my plan," Buttercup said as the three descended on them.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Kids!" the Professor shouted from a room.

"What?" asked the doctor.

"Look at that," the Professor said at the TV. Soon, Blossom, and the boys arrived. They froze at what they saw on TV—live.

It was Beta, Delta, and Cychaela fighting Bubbles and Buttercup. And it was a one-sided fight as the two puffs were getting owned by the three teen-agers.

"Damn! What the hell are those two fools doing there? Are they crazy? Blossom, Boomer, Butch, let's go!" Brick ordered as he zoomed out of the house. But pretty soon, they had another thing to worry about.

A large mob, about five thousand strong, was headed for their home. It was composed of refugees from Citiesville, and some disgruntled citizens of Towsville. They were carrying torches, flamethrowers, pitchforks, guns, knives and any kind of weapon they could get their hands on, and they were angry.

"Oh shit! As if we don't need any more trouble. Blossom, Boomer, you stay here and protect Dad and the house. Butch and I will go and rescue Bubbles and Buttercup. Damn it, guess we were wrong when we thought those fools bought the Mayor's explanation."

Blossom nodded as she understood completely.

"Boomer, I want you to follow Blossom's orders, okay?" Brick ordered.

"But…" Boomer protested.

"I said do it!" Brick said, grabbing his brother by the shirt and gently punching him in the stomach. "Or else!"

Boomer, terrified of his brother, acquiesced. "Yes Brick."

"Good!"

"Brick! Butch!" Blossom shouted.

"What?" Brick asked. "I don't have all day you know."

"Please come back with my sisters alive!" Blossom pleaded.

"Well, when we come back, make sure Dad and the Professor are safe and the house is still in one piece," Brick replied before he and Butch flew at top speed towards Citiesville.


	28. Two Crises

**Allies and Rivals II**

(You can skip this intro and go down to the story if you want)

Well, after a long time, I'm updating this. Forgive me for this long update. I lost interest in the PPG fandom for a long time, as you can see when I started writing _Happy Tree Friends_ fanfiction. I only recently came back and began reading PPG fanfiction again. And I also reread, _Allies and Rivals, _and the first part of this story.

This story is really old. I wrote the first instalment of _Allies and Rivals_ nine years ago. That was really a long time ago. In fact, I needed to reread all my fics to refresh my memory of the plot and the universe that I've created. I'm still happy with the stories, but a long lay off allowed me to notice several grammatical errors that I have not noticed before. In fact, there were several, and I spent the last few days correcting all those typos in this story. I also reduced some of the dialogue and trimmed paragraphs that were unnecessarily long.

I have completed this story several years ago, but for some reason, it was deleted, so I reposted it. However, it was really long, so I took a long time to repost all of it. I have still the source file for the entire story, but it was unedited. It took a long time to do it. However, I stopped at some point when I reached chapter 26, because I thought I lost the entire story when my computer crashed a long time ago and I had to reformat it. Fortunately, exploring my files, I rediscovered the rest of the missing chapters hidden in some obscure folder I forgot. I posted chapter 27 three years ago with only the barest editing, then I forgot about it.

Going back, I wanted to post again the missing chapters, but before I can do that, I need to clean it up. I apologize if there are more mistakes appearing, but even after reading it many times, sometimes I still miss something. If you go and reread the earlier chapters of this story, there are far less grammatical errors than before. I hope that I removed all of it, but if there are some that I missed, I apologize. There are some aspects of the plot that I would have changed, but I decided to retain the original one.

So here it is. If you want to refresh your memory on what happened and catch up, you only have reread chapter 25-27. The chapters before that was altogether a different story, as you have seen.

(If you haven't read the first story or the chapters before this, there are spoilers below).

This story was set in a universe I made with the first _Allies and Rivals_ story. I began the story before the episode _The Boys are Back in Town_ aired, so I apologize if the RRB in this story are different from what they are in the later episodes. So this is effectively an Alternate Universe where instead of Him reviving the Rowdyruff Boys, my own character Dr William Edwards revived them, albeit accidentally. He used a different method than Him to revive the boys, so their personalities and appearances (their appeared as they were when they were first created by Mojo, not when they were revived by Him, so in this universe, Brick has a shorter hair than the one in the later episodes) were different from their reincarnation in the show. Rather, their initial attitude was that when they were under Mojo, but would slowly change under the direction of Dr Edwards.

In _Allies and Rivals_, Dr Edwards recreated accidentally recreated the RRB. He was a rich scientist, who had a feud with Prof Utonium. He decided to adopt the three boys, but was disturbed by their evil tendencies. They wanted revenge on the PPG. Dr Edwards was able to persuade them to only beat them, but not to kill them. Then, he started, slowly, to wean them away from their evil personalities using their newfound loyalty to their new creator. He even, in the name of protecting their father and his properties, started to get them to play superhero and protect the city.

But the Powerpuff Girls, by a series of events, became friends with Dr Edwards at the very moment he was trying to help his boys defeat them. Due to a series of misunderstandings, the girls came to believe the boys were in league with Mojo and were deceiving Dr Edwards and the town by pretending to be good, but were really evil. It took a couple of events to really convince the girls that the boys were not as evil as they were, in the process nearly destroying their own reputations.

In _Allies and Rivals II, _there are essentially four parts. Part I is the process of forming the alliance itself, from Blossom proposing the alliance, to Mojo making another attempt at the lives of the girls, and to the Fourth Clash, to the start of Blossom and Brick's rivalry for leadership, and Brick's defeat and Blossom becoming the first leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance.

Part II was the struggle against Ckracknow and an exhibition of Blossom's leadership, from the thieves who had no names and only whites in their eyes, and the extraordinarily strong monsters, One, the kidnapping of Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium, Brick's resignation as leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, the leadership trials of Butch and Boomer, the resumption of Brick as leader and Dr. Edwards and Prof. Utonium's renewed contact with the kids, the rescue of Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium, the fight with Two, and Blossom's triumph as leader.

Part III is when Brick resumed his challenge for the leadership, from Brick's challenge, to Blossom's arrogance getting worst, to Brick's winning the election.

Part IV is Ckracknow's attack on Citiesville. This part is the showcase of Brick's leadership abilities. And this part began on chapter 25.

All in all, the thread running throughout the story is Brick and Blossom in a constant struggle for power, all the while battling their foes. Also shown is the process where they and their siblings slowly become genuine friends.

**Chapter 28 **

**Two Crises**

The Town of Citiesville, and at it's edge, Bubbles and Buttercup were in big trouble as their attempted rescue attempt went awry when they failed to conceal themselves from Beta, Cychaela and Delta.

Predictably, Bubbles and Buttercup were beaten up in a one sided fight. Not only were each of the villains individually stronger than the two girls, but they also outnumbered the girls three to two. So, unless a miracle happened, the outcome was never in doubt.

"Hey Cychaela, you and I beat Blondie over here while Delta would make take care of green girl."

"Well, who made you our leader? But for once I agree," the female villain replied. "Is it okay with you Delta?"

Delta nodded.

Cychaela and Beta immediately assaulted Bubbles. Bubbles backed away a bit, but Beta grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms to her side. Before she could attempt an escape, Cychaela pummelled Bubbles by repeatedly punching her, in movements so fast that Bubbles received a hundred powerful punches in the face and body in a minute. Beta's grip was so powerful that the blond puff couldn't get away. Only Bubbles own powerful body and strength of will kept her conscious and alive.

Delta and Buttercup sparred. He played with Buttercup, letting her attack him. Buttercup's attacks were useless. Her punches barely scratched Delta for the few times it didn't completely miss him.

For ten minutes, this continued. By this time, Buttercup was exhausted from all her futile attacks. She wasn't hurt since Delta just let her attack him, and he just dodged all the attacks, whether punches, kicks, laser eyes, or laser from her hands. Even those that he was unable to dodge didn't hurt him at all.

Bubbles was worse. She was nearing unconsciousness, both from the tightening grip of Beta, and Cychaela's constant barrages. She was coughing blood, but her tormentors wouldn't let up.

Nobody of them noticed a camera crew recording the event.

At that moment, two of the Rowdyruff Boys, Brick and Butch, arrived. They immediately attacked Cychaela and Beta to relieve Bubbles.

"Look! More flies!" Cychaela sighed when she saw the two boys approaching them.

"Good! That means we'll have more fun swatting them!" Beta remarked.

Cychaela gave one powerful blow on Bubbles' head that finally knocked Bubbles out cold. Beta and Cychaela waited for the two to reach them.

Suddenly, Butch suddenly halted and run and flew like hell in the other direction.

"Well, I didn't expect green boy to show his cowardice so soon! Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Cychaela said.

"Nah! Cychaela, let me take care of it! I'm sure he's fast, and it would somewhat be a challenge for me. You're so fast that it wouldn't take much for you to catch him! I'll take care of him while you take care of the redhead," Beta suggested.

"Okay then!" Cychaela agreed.

Beta went off to chase Butch.

Brick approached Cychaela and attacked her by using his laser eyes, but the super fast Cychaela dodged it with no effort at all.

Brick in frustration tried tactics, like feint, retreat, combined with ice attacks that would devastate someone with equal speed or someone that was at the most twice as strong and fast as him, but Cychaela was just too fast that even when she was caught off guard, she was able to dodge it, and even if Brick was able to hit her, it would only tickle her.

"Keep still, you bitch!" Brick shouted.

"What's the matter? Surprised that a girl could whip your ass that bad?"

"Not really. You forget that I worked for a girl ten years younger than you. Well, I should ask, surprised that a mere baby like me could stand against a teen-ager like you? In fact, I'm doing quite well considering the circumstances!"

"We'll see! I'm tired of dodging your attacks. See if you can dodge mine," the girl replied before assaulting Brick.

Brick backed off a bit, but his opponent was simply too fast for the red ruff. Soon, Cychaela was flying around him in circles giving Brick many powerful punches and laser attacks.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Butch flew to the center of the city, but before he could go further, Beta suddenly appeared before him.

"I don't think so! Ha! You can't run from me!"

"Ha! I bet you couldn't beat me!" Butch boasted.

"We'll see! I can kick your ass pretty good and you'll soon be crying out for your mommy!" Beta replied.

"Ha, the only reason you were able to beat me is because you outnumbered me! One on one, you don't have a prayer!"

"We'll see now, won't we?" Beta replied. "We're alone so I will prove once and for all that I'm better than you!"

"Phooey! The others will join you and beat me up if we fight here!" Butch protested.

"Well, I assure you I'll fight you alone this time, or are you chicken?"

"Well, you sure fought Bubbles one-on-one," Butch sarcastically replied. "I'd rather trust a car dealer than trust you. Ha, the moment we would start the fight, Alpha, or Epsilon would suddenly join up and beat the living hell out of me!"

"Well, I can't help it if my they'd try to act brotherly," Beta said.

"Well, how about this. To prove once and for all who among us is stronger, how about if we fight one-on-one in a deserted place! No one would know about it but us! Then, we settle who is the best by having a fight to the death where anything goes!" Butch proposed. "And make sure no one, I mean no one, but the two of us can know about it!"

"That's not a bad idea at all!" Beta replied. "Not bad at all! Okay, since you want a death wish, I'm going to let you choose the time and place for this supposed match!"

"Well, since you're ever so kind as to let me select the place and date of your death, I'll give. Okay, meet me in the plain forty miles west of Townsville on December 18. One on one, a fight to the death!"

"You got your fight then," Beta said. "If you can get out of here alive! If you do, then I won't tell anybody else."

Beta then attacked Butch. Butch decided to fly away as fast away as he could. Beta decided to give Butch a head start, confident that he could easily overtake the green ruff.

"Ha, you say you can take me one-on-one and yet you run away like a girl! If you actually go to the plain west on Townsville six days from now, I'd be amazed! If you're a man, if you've got balls, come back here and fight, sissy!" Beta shouted at Butch.

Butch heard the insults, and was sorely tempted to turn back and attack, but he knew better. He knew at that point, there was no chance at all that he could survive a fight, let alone be victorious. He swallowed his pride and flew towards Brick and Cychaela.

* * *

Brick was getting thrashed pretty badly by Cychaela. By this time, he was weak, and coughing blood, but still strong enough to stand and fight. But Cychaela had barely a scratch on her, and there was no way he can beat the girl due to her superior speed.

Delta was still playing with Buttercup, with the green puff making fruitless attempts to attack him. Most of her punches and kicks were either dodged or blocked, while her laser attacks either didn't hit her mark or if it did, had absolutely the same effect as slamming a watermelon against a concrete block. Delta was way slower than the super fast Cychaela, but he was still considerably faster than the green puff.

Butch charged at full speed towards Brick, and to his extreme surprise, managed to accidentally slam Cychaela by the back. It seemed that she wasn't paying attention to him at all.

Cychaela was pushed slightly backward, and it gave the ruff leader a reprieve.

Cychaela was surprised, but when she saw Butch, she smirked.

"Ha, running away from Beta! Such courage, such bravery!" she sarcastically proclaimed. "I bow at your valor, Wilbur Edwards!"

"And such common sense! As somebody whose name I forgot said, 'it's better to run away to fight again another day, and perhaps, win'?"

At that same time, Beta arrived. Soon, both Beta and Cychaela were standing side by side, with evil smiles plastered on their faces, their eyes on a battered Brick and a determined Butch.

Delta got tired of dodging Buttercup's attacks. He suddenly grabbed Buttercup's lunging arm, spun her around a few times, and tossed her towards Brick, her head hitting Brick's stomach, and sending both of them careening to the ground just besides the unconscious Bubbles. It hurt Brick more than he already was, as he coughed more blood, his shirt redder than it already was.

"Aw! Did you have to hit me so hard? I think you broke a rib," Brick remarked.

"Well, my head hurt," Buttercup said. "Oh my aching head. Your stomach is like a steel wall! Bubbles!"

Buttercup quickly stood and went to Bubbles lay. She was unconscious. She was still breathing, and alive, but her situation was precarious.

Butch quickly flew to where they are.

"I think we better get her out of here," Brick advised. "She looks pretty bad."

Buttercup just nodded as she quickly hugged Bubbles then slung her over her shoulder.

"Well genius, what's the plan?" asked Butch.

"Have you done it?" Brick asked Butch.

"Yup, he fell for it!" Butch replied.

"Good! Now, we know we can't beat those three, especially now that Bubbles is out and I'm weak, so the best thing we could do is escape."

"Brick, hello! They easily can outrun us! Did you see how fast that girl is?" Buttercup said.

"Well duh! I was the victim of that bitch, of course I know how fast she is," Brick replied. "But just to tell you, even those two bastards besides her, even though they are much slower than her, are still faster than us! But I know how we can escape!"

"Use the sunball? Oh please! Can't you see those fckheads are wearing shades! It won't work!" Butch declared.

"You fool! Don't you think I haven't thought of that! Of course I know using the sunball for the second straight time probably won't work!"

"So what's your plan to take us out of this predicament?" asked Buttercup.

"Just go into that building! That skyscraper over to our left!"

"What? How's that…" Buttercup began.

"Just shut up and do as I say!" Brick snapped.

* * *

Beta, Cychaela and Delta were just floating above them, looking at the kids talk among themselves.

"So what do you think they're talking about?" Beta asked.

"A plan maybe?" Delta proposed.

"Oh boy, a plan! What a joke! Not even the best plans could defeat us! We're invincible!" Cychaela boasted.

"Nah, maybe they're just crying for their mommies?" Delta joked, and the three laughed.

Suddenly, they saw their enemies fly and run towards the inside of a skyscraper.

"Now that was the most stupid thing I ever saw!" Beta observed.

"Yeah! Do they think they could hide from us by going to a skyscraper. Ha, Alpha and Master Ckracknow totally underestimated those assholes' competence!" Cychaela added.

"Well, time to smoke them out," Delta said. He raised his hand and pointed at the building, ready to destroy the building by laser.

Suddenly, four beams—two green, one red and one light blue—darted out of the building.

"What the, how'd the blond girl get up and running? I thought she was out for the count?" Delta asked, astonished. "I thought you guys took care of her?"

"She probably faked it and pretended to be unconscious," Delta observed. "By the way, I never knew they could be so fast. But why the hell would they run away in a direction opposite of Townsville?"

"Hey guys? What the fck are you waiting for? Let's chase them!" Cychaela said.

"What's the rush? They aren't going anywhere near Townsville…hey wait for me!" Beta shouted as Delta and Cychaela gave chase to the fast moving puffs and ruffs.

* * *

"Suckers!" Brick, still inside the building, quietly said. "Bet you didn't think of the decoys, did you?"

"Yeah, that was brilliant!" Butch complimented.

"Let's get as many people as we can out of here before those three realize they've been duped," Buttercup proposed.

"No. We better get out of here. We haven't seen Alpha and Epsilon, but they're probably here in the city with Ckracknow. Right now, they'd probably think, like those three morons, that we're fleeing from Citiesville away from Townsville. If we go out and go saving stuff, they might see us," Brick said, coughing more blood and groaning in pain. "We best get out of here as fast as we can. Besides, Bubbles needs critical help."

"And so do you. You're worst than shit," Butch observed.

Buttercup just nodded. "You're right, but God, you're just like Blossom, you know that Brick?" she said.

"You've been telling that to me since September," Brick said. "And I don't care. Let's go home."

Soon, with Buttercup carrying an unconscious Bubbles, the three flew at top speed, though Brick lagged behind as he was very weak. Butch took pity on him and carried him, and just in time, for the last effort to fly fast exhausted all his remaining energy and rendered him unconscious.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom and Boomer faced a mob, about five thousand strong, approaching the house. They had angry expressions on their faces, and they're carrying some kind of weapons like guns, sticks, pitchforks, and torches.

"Let's waste them," Boomer suggested. "It wouldn't take a minute to kick them so they'd be crying for their Mamas before we tear their guts out!"

"No. No violence," Blossom ordered.

"Then how the heck would we stop it, oh great leader? If you were Brick, you'd attack them," Boomer charged.

"Well, Brick has common sense, and he wouldn't be too rash. But the point is, I'm Blossom, and I'm not Brick!" Blossom replied. "As for your first question, we can persuade them."

"Well, if the house was burned and Dad was killed, it would be on your head, Blossom," Boomer said.

Blossom, followed by Boomer, flew towards the crowd. "Now I want you to shut your mouth unless I told you to, okay?"

Boomer was annoyed and irritated at Blossom, but he just nodded.

The two landed in front of the crowd.

"Stop!" Blossom shouted.

"Get out of our way, you cowards," one of the men the mob shouted. "Since you Powderpuffs wouldn't fight, we're taking the matter into our own hands."

"Yeah, and don't say anything about what the Mayor said. It's complete bullsh!t! Townsville maybe dumb, but not all of us are that dumb."

"And I'm from Citiesville! I saw those teen-agers whip your ass! Fake video my ass!"

"Please, there's no need for profanity," Blossom shouted. "Look, I admit, the mayor wasn't exactly truthful—"

"He took us for fools for expecting us to believe that malarkey?" one of the men shouted. "Townsville is dumb, but not all of the citizens have brains the size of a nut!"

"Yeah! Thank God some refugees from Citiesville saw what actually happened and not all of us were dupes!"

"I'm sorry for it. I assure you, the Mayor only meant well," Blossom said. "So why march to our home?"

"Look, we know you don't have a prayer against those five. We don't want Ckracknow attacking Townsville and doing here what he did to Citiesville, so we're going to take matters into our own hands!"

"Meaning?" asked Boomer.

"We're going to raze your house and kill of the Doc and the Professor! We all need to survive, and those two have become a liability and a luxury this town could not afford! They must die if Townsville is to live!"

The other members of the crowd echoed the sentiment and they resumed their march towards the Edwards house.

Blossom backed away and barely succeeded in restraining Boomer.

"So this is all about Ckracknow's message? You're showing yourselves to be cowards, submitting to his demands without a fight?" Blossom scolded. "Townsville, Citiesville, what kind of people are you. Are you going to let some mad scientist bully you?"

"Well, better live cowards than dead heroes," they shouted.

"And you're going to betray the one who ever so often saved your lives? After all that we've done for you, after all the hardships we had to endure to ensure your safety, this is how we will repay us? Where is your gratitude, Townsville, where is your gratitude?"

"How many times have we been hurt by Mojo Jojo in your defense? How many times have we risked our lives so you can breathe? How many times have you been threatened by Fuzzy? And who always flies to rescue you from that pink hillbilly that you once elected mayor? How many times had we rescued you from mugging by the Gang Green Gang? How many times upon countless times have we saved this town from monsters after monsters, at the risk of our own lives? How many times have we delivered you from the evil clutches of Him? How many of you have jobs and homes because of us? Indeed, how many of you have a Townsville to call a home because of us? And not only that, but how many times had we rescued your cat from the tree, fix your plumbing, water your plants, tie your shoes, catch criminals, all things which you're perfectly capable of doing? That after you ostracized me and my sisters!"

"A perfect girl, I may not be, but who is? Have we not done enough, or do you want us to throw ourselves to your feet, to grovel for your mercy so that our house may stand and our fathers may literally keep their heads?"

"And despite all, despite all that we've given, the only thing we crave in return is thanks. We don't need wealth, though we don't mind if we have them. We don't need fame, but accept it anyway. What we want is that you would recognize us for the job that we're doing in preserving this town, and for you to recognize that we sacrificed a lot too!"

"Yet what have you done, fellow citizens? Many times, despite all, you have shown your extreme ingratitude! You have listened to demagogues like Harold Smith who have taken advantage of situations to demonize us, or you have fallen under the power of Ckracknow who is not even here but in Citiesville!"

"Townsville, where is your faith in us, the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys? Where is the faith that in so many earlier occasions, have led you to trust us with your very lives? Tell me, what time did you not put your very lives in our hands when it hung on the balance? And most importantly, tell me, was there a time when we have proven not worthy of that responsibility, of that trust, of your lives, that you put in our hands? Have we ever failed you, Townsville, have we? Tell me, when did we ever fail you?"

"I'll answer that question for you, my fellow citizens. NEVER! Never were we defeated when it truly mattered, never where the life of Townsville is at stake! Yes, I readily admit, we were nearly defeated several times by our enemies! We are not invincible. But when the dice was rolled, despite the odds, the Powepuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys always rolled on top, as if destiny and fate intertwined to give us the push and luck needed to win."

"Yes, we are always victorious! And you say, 'we were defeated too?' Yes, I admit, we lost some of our battles, but not those that matter. As long as we are still breathing, as long as we are alive and well, as long as we have our superpowers, our enemies couldn't consider us completely and utterly defeated. Consider us defeated when we're buried six feet under ground. We always win our wars in the end."

"And now, I ask you, given our track record, why do you betray us? Why would you cower in fear of a mad scientist and his five thugs, when you all know that not only us Powerpuff Girls, but also the Rowdyruff Boys, would do everything in our power to defeat them! Why Townsville? Why take the most precious things from us—our fathers, and our homes—when we have sacrificed so many so you could have so much? Why?"

Blossom spoke with high emotion, and several times, it looked like she would break up. The citizens of Townsville, about half the number of the mob, listened, and guilt seeped in. Some of them were in tears as they listened to Blossom's emotional peroration, remembering all that had happened in the past. Soon, they were ashamed at their actions. And they dropped their weapons.

The refugees from Citiesville, on the other hand, who only remembered that the Powerpuff Girls destroyed their big red bridge before, weren't affected at all.

"So why don't you go and fight them now?" shouted one citizen of Citiesville.

"Well, to tell you the truth, we're not ready. I admit, we're weak right now, and we can't prevail on a one on one fight at the moment."

The Citiesville half of the mob booed and hooted, while the Townsville half were still silent as they were still ashamed of their actions toward their greatest heroes.

"Then we'll kill your Dads! We can't risk Ckracknow attacking here. If we do that, we live!"

"Listen you all," Boomer thundered. "Do you think that Ckracknow would leave this town alone if you do that? Ha, I'd sooner trust a car dealer than trust Ckracknow! He'd stab your back sooner than an Al Capone would the moment you deliver the Professor's head on a platter!"

"Boomer's right," Blossom said, surprised. "You can't just trust guarantees from Ckracknow! Besides, I promise you, we will defeat his five thugs! But not now. Give us a few days, and I promise you, we will be victorious after we trained hard enough to beat them before they can attack Townsville!"

The Townies cheered, while the Citiesvillians grumbled.

"But what if they do attack here before you're ready?" asked one of the people of Citiesville.

"Then I'd leave it to fate. I don't know if they would attack before we're ready," Blossom lied. She knew that she couldn't let Ckracknow know that she knows that they won't not attack Townsville or it might upset their plans. "We can only hope that they wouldn't attack! But rest assured! If they attacked Townsville even before we're ready, we're going to be the first to fight them—ready or not. If they attacked tomorrow, they can only destroy Townsville over our dead bodies!"

Every Towny in the crowd cheered wildly.

"Way to go Blossom!" shouted one of them.

"We're sorry for doubting you!" one of them shouted. "We should never have turned against you!"

"Yeah! You never let us down, so there's no reason to doubt you! We're with you!" another shouted.

The Citiesvillians were quite disgusted, but kept quiet for they don't want the Townsville half to attack the Citiesville half of the mob. They didn't believe a word Blossom told them.

"So, people, I implore you, go back into your homes, and show that you wouldn't bend to Ckracknow!"

The Townies cheered, and disbanded, and went home, their morale tremendously boosted by Blossom's oratory, their faith in the boys and girls restored.

The Citiesvillians, seeing that the mob was cut in half, went back to their refugee camp, not so much because of Blossom, but because they lost half their number. They were disgusted by the supposed "gullibility" of the Townies.

Blossom wiped her brow, which was full of sweat.

"That was great!" Boomer suddenly said, slapping her in the back. "And coming from me to you, it meant a lot!"

"Yes I know! You never gave me a compliment before, as I recall! In fact, only Brick would say such a thing among you and your brothers, at least that's what I thought until now."

"Well, don't expect anymore compliments from me. And don't expect me to blab about this to Brick and Butch! And don't tell anybody I gave you a compliment! I have a reputation to protect. I don't hate you anymore, but neither do I like you! You still made that Monster Alliance you know!"

"Whatever! Let's go home," Blossom said.

And the two went home, with Boomer's respect of Blossom increased, though he still dislikes the pink puff.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Buttercup and Butch arrived at home, with Boomer and Blossom and their fathers waiting for them. Brick and Bubbles were immediately sent to the medical rooms. They were severely injured, but the Chemical X, plus the fact that they had faster healing than ordinary humans, plus the fact the Dr. Edwards had the most advanced medical equipment, meant that at most, it only took a few hours for them to heal them completely.

Blossom decided that the rest of them should rest and would resume training when Brick and Bubbles were ready.

"You know you're in trouble, Buttercup!" Blossom said in their room. "If I know Brick, he'd probably punish Bubbles and you."

"Well, it was a good idea, until we run into those three!"

"More like a reckless one! Do you really expect you could have beaten those three, let alone five, and win, when all of us five couldn't beat them? What were you thinking?"

"Well, we want to save the people, and we would've if we didn't run into those three! But, well, it was a stupid idea. I could've gotten myself and Bubbles killed."

"Not to mention Butch and Brick!" Blossom scolded. "Well, I'm just glad you're alright. I know you meant well, but please, use your head."

"Thanks, but what punishment would Brick do?"

"Probably the same as before. The same old tickle tortured while being tied-up and gagged, though now, I don't consider that a punishment at all. I mean, we always did that to each other while playing our games in the last three months!"

"Yeah, though I always came out on top! I was never tied-up and tickled since Ckracknow's first defeat. Ha, you never got your revenge on me! I'm still the best schemer!"

"Well, we would've if we got all those embarrassing photos!" Blossom said.

"Well you didn't, so there!" Buttercup said, and stuck her tongue out to her. Soon, it degenerated into a pillow fight, after which they switched off their lights, and spend an hour talking to each other while they were in bed.

* * *

The next day, December 13…

It was morning, and Brick woke up at about eight in the morning. He rubbed his eyes, stretched and looked at the side, and saw Bubbles, fully awake, her wide eyes staring directly at him.

"Good Morning Brick!" the blue puff greeted.

"What's so good about this morning?" Brick replied. "Anyway, morning to you too."

"Well Brick, I was thinking, are you mad at Buttercup and me for going to Citiesville?"

"Well aside from the fact that you were probably duped by Buttercup," Brick began, "Well of course I'm mad. That was reckless and irresponsible! What were you thinking? You two could have been killed, and if that happened, our chances of ever defeating those five are nil!"

"Well I'm sorry about that!" Bubbles said.

"Well, apology accepted," Brick replied.

"So we can be friends again?" asked Bubbles.

"We're not even friends in the first place!" Brick snapped.

"Aw, you're just too proud to admit it!" Bubbles insisted. "Just like Boomer. And if so, why did you save us?"

"Well, I need you two to defeat those five. Without you, it would be impossible to win!" Brick said.

"And the fact that you can't bear to lose us because we're your friends," Bubbles said.

"Whatever!" Brick rambled.

"Oh I knew it! You really like us all! Um, so are you going to punish us for what we did?"

"What'd you think? Of course!"

"So you'd tie us up and tickle us?"

"Nah After the events of the past three months, I don't think you and I could consider it as punishment, since you seem to enjoy it too much! Na, I'll just think of something else!"

"So you're awake?" Blossom said as she entered the room.

"Well, I had beautiful dream, I woke up, I saw you, and then I knew I was in a nightmare, a horrible nightmare! Depart, oh ugly one!" Brick teased before bursting into laughter.

Blossom took a pillow and threw it at Brick, who just ducked under the blankets.

After the teasing stopped after a few minutes, the two leaders, with Bubbles going out to join Buttercup, went to more serious matters.

"Congratulations on the rescue! I should've known you'd use those decoys!"

"You should've! I mean, you fell for it during the third clash!"

"Yup! That's the only reason we didn't beat you up till you confessed to being evil, deceptive to Dr. Edwards, and in alliance with Mojo! Though I'm glad that didn't happen! In turned out that you weren't those," Blossom replied, referring to the events before the formation of the alliance. She then told Brick what happened with the mob.

"Well, good then! With the people pacified, and not running around crazy, screaming for Dad's head, then we won't have to worry about that. The TV station to Citiesville is shut down so Ckracknow won't influence them. At least we don't have any problems, now do we? All we have to do is train until we're ready, then we could liberate Citiesville and kill Ckracknow once and for all!"

"I don't think so, Brick. The people of Citiesville didn't believe a word I said. And when I last saw the news last night, there were about 50,000 refugees here in Townsville, and from the people that I've talked to, they hate us, and they were the ones who persuaded the 2,500 Townies to march to our house. Townsville I could easily persuade, but Citiesville, no," Blossom said. "They still remember their stupid red bridge."

"Well, whatever happens, we can't let them get here. We can't flee, since outside Townsville, we're vulnerable to Ckracknow. And aside from your Professor's Lab, there isn't any other place where we can train sufficiently to overcome them," Brick said.

"Agreed," Blossom said. "But we would be in real trouble if all those fifty thousand refugees rioted. And we couldn't just beat them up."

Brick nodded.

Brick and Blossom knew that they had two problems at hand—the refugees from Citiesville, who are liable to cause unwanted trouble, and Ckracknow and his goons on Citiesville proper.

But for now, they decided to punish both Buttercup and Bubbles first for disobeying orders before doing any further training.


	29. The Great Townsville Riot

**Allies and Rivals**

**Chapter 29 **

**The Great Townsville Riot**

The City of Townsville…

It was the morning of December 13, and Brick and Bubbles had just recuperated from their injuries. It was a bit of luck and skill that Brick and Butch were able to spirit away Bubbles and Buttercup from their noble, good intentioned, but tactically misguided attempt to save the people of Citiesville.

More ominously was that Ckracknow's strategy seemed to have partially worked. He was able to scare the people, at least the refugees from Citiesville and the more intelligent people of Townsville, into trying to kill Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium. Fortunately, Blossom was able to put on some sense into the Townsville mob, and as a result, the Citiesville mob was discouraged and was persuaded to disband.

The six boys and girls were just outside the training room, and everybody expected to train immediately. Blossom and Brick had just joined their siblings.

Except that everybody was wrong.

"Well, better get training!" Butch said. "If the fight yesterday is an indication, then we're in mighty big trouble if we don't get tough enough."

"Well, I think we better quicken the pace!" Brick suggested. "I suggest we train at level 30."

The other five quickly looked at Brick in utter amazement.

"Very funny Brick!" Boomer said. 'Of course! He wouldn't be serious, would he?'

"Yeah! We barely managed 19, we'll get killed if we suddenly skip ten levels!" Blossom reasoned.

"I'm not saying we're all going to train now at 30, did I? Only two of us will! Guess? Yup, that's right! Bubbles and Buttercup!"

"What? What gives?" protested Buttercup.

"Simple! That is your punishment for disobeying orders!" Brick said, looking her in the eye. "You should've known better than to disobey orders, make a foolish risk, and endanger not only your lives, but also the mission! You know that if you two were killed, Blossom, myself and my brothers can't defeat those five! And if you were captured, it would be next to impossible to rescue you without further depleting our strength! Imagine, all that risk on the assumption that you won't be caught! Such a foolish assumption indeed! What kind of idiots are you that you think you could just sneak under the noses of those five? Those five who are expecting us to blindly come to the people's rescue? Granted, Blossom might think that your intentions are noble, but there is a fine line between nobility and absurdity, idealism and fanaticism, courage and recklessness, and you two had crossed that line by blundering."

"Don't you know that you fell for Ckracknow's trap? That's what he wants—for you to stupidly go and let your concerns blind you! And despite our warnings, you still persisted, and you almost paid the ultimate price. Good thing Butch and I saved your butts!"

"What would be gained—a few hundred lives—against what could be lost—either the death or capture of you two—and the ultimate death of even those that you rescued? You would gain nothing and lose everything!"

During the entire time, Brick shouted at the top of his voice, his eyes looking frightening in its rage, and his brothers were reminded of the time their father was angry. His voice was so loud that even the Professor and the Doctor, rooms away working at the lab, could hear him.

"But I'm sorry!" Buttercup said, frightened by Brick's shouting, though not showing it. "Look, I know it was stupid, and I know it was a colossal blunder, but you couldn't blame us for what we did. We fight for truth, honor and justice, and we had good intentions!"

"You still disobeyed me, despite the fact that you and Bubbles promised not to. And you will pay!"

"Isn't saying sorry enough?" asked Bubbles. "Because we are."

"No. You need to learn a lesson. Besides, you didn't fuss too much when Blossom punished you and Boomer, did you?"

"Well, you can't punish me!" Buttercup asserted.

"Really? Butch, Boomer, seize her!" Brick ordered. At once, both boys pounced on the green puff. She was totally caught off guard, and was immediately pinned to the ground by the two. "Bubbles, will you accept it, or do you want to do it the hard way?"

"I'll go," she said, watching everything in silence. By this time, she knew Brick was right, but she can't stop feeling sorry for the people. She went to the training room.

Butch and Boomer threw Buttercup inside the training room, with Blossom only watching, shaking her head. She felt very sorry for them, yet couldn't do anything, because she had done the same thing, to Buttercup of all people, when she disobeyed orders when Blossom was leader. Granted the punishment was different, but the principle was the same.

Brick closed the door shut, and went to the control panel. He adjusted the level to 30.

"Well Buttercup, since you always say you're the toughest, let's see how you fare. Bubbles, I'm sorry, but I had to do this!" he said.

Then, without informing the two girls, he changed the level to 25.

"25? But I thought…" Blossom gasped in pleasant surprise when she saw Brick change the level to a much lower one.

"It was just to scare them!" Brick said. "To make them think twice about defying me again. Level 30 would kill them at our present strength, while level 25 would only severely injure them and would hospitalize them for only a few hours, kinda like what happened to Bubbles and me during the last fight."

"So what is the difference between level 25, level 30 and the lower levels?" asked Blossom.

"Well, at level 25, they would only last three minutes tops before getting knocked out," Boomer explained. "At 24, about six, at 23, nine minutes, 22, thirteen, 21, seventeen, 20 they might win. Basically, at those levels, they can't win, but only a question of how long they would last."

Brick and Butch just looked at Boomer.

"Will wonders never cease?" Brick said. "Boomer and Blossom talking to each other in a civilized manner! What a surprise! Anyway, Boomer's right. Level 27 and higher would be fatal at their current strength. Level 24 and lower would only prolong their agony because they'd only get beaten longer."

"I knew it! You're not that bad a punisher yourself," Blossom said. "I knew you wouldn't be too hard on them, though you're still harder on the punishments than I ever was!"

"Well, I always thought tickle torture while tied up is harder than fighting and getting knocked out," Brick joked. "So technically, you're harder in punishments. Though we all know that such punishment can only be inflicted as part of playing or games."

"Yup, like the one we did time and time again since we defeated Ckracknow the first time," Blossom chuckled.

In the training room, the scene changed from the metal walls of the room to a scene which was devastated by monsters. Buttercup, though putting a brave face, was actually terrified at fighting at level 30, while Bubbles was shaking. Nevertheless, they fought at their best.

In two minutes, it was all over, one minute sooner than was predicted, as the simulated monsters and their counterparts easily pulverized the two puffs. Both were unconscious, though their condition was not at all that serious since they were knocked out so quickly.

Brick and Blossom took the two puffs and gave them to the Professor and the Doctor, who were working in the lab. The leaders explained that they were knocked out while in the training room. The Professor then bandaged and fixed the two and put them in the medical room. The Professor then left the remaining four to look after the two. He and his friend went back to the lab.

"Boomer, Butch, look at those two," Brick ordered as soon as the adults left.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"None of your business!" Brick snapped. "Come on Blossom!"

"Well, I think you're going into a date!" teased Butch.

"Think what you want, but you'll soon find out soon enough!" Brick said. "Come on, leader girl!"

Blossom was puzzled by Brick. "Where are we going?" she asked when they were out of the house.

"To the police station!" said Brick.

"The police station? So why didn't you just tell your brothers? Now they're thinking something else!"

"Now can't a guy piss his brother off?"

"Whatever, Brick! But why are we going to the police station?"

"I've been thinking about what you've said. You're right. The threat of a riot by fifty thousand Citiesvillans is very serious. I want to know the capability of the police force to deal with it!"

"Well, we can always deal with it? I mean we are very very powerful!" Blossom boasted.

"True, but unlike you, I don't want to do things these people can do for themselves, like saving a cat from a tree, or the like, like you always seem to like doing! When the riot breaks out, I want the police, not us, to handle it! Besides, we have far better things about to worry about than a bunch of idiots with torches and pitchforks smashing and burning everything they see."

* * *

A few minutes later, they arrived at the police station.

"Could I speak to Police Chief Alexander Grulp?" asked Brick.

"Brick! Blossom!" one of the police officers said. "Of course!"

By this time, the Rowdyruff Boys, like the Powerpuff Girls, were deeply respected and admired by most of the police force.

"Blossom, Brick, what can I do for you?" asked the Chief of police.

"Well, first, did you know that the Mayor and Blossom gave me authority to command the police and the military of this city as long as the threat of Ckracknow persists, so that means, at this moment, I outrank you. If you don't believe me, here are the papers to prove it."

Brick then gave him the documents giving him such power to Chief Grulp.

Grulp carefully read every word of the document.

"If you want, call Ms. Bellum and she'll confirm it," Brick said.

"I think I'll do that," Chief Grulp said before going to his office.

* * *

"Brick, that was rude! You shouldn't have acted like you're the boss or something!"

"But I am his boss! If you've read the paper, you'd know. I was just asserting my authority. Besides, if you saw the look on his face, Ms. Bellum obviously didn't inform him of my new authority."

"Yeah, but you could have been more humble and polite. That in-your-face attitude won't win you many friends!" Blossom scolded.

"True, being polite sometimes accomplish ones goals," Brick said. "But heck, I'm not looking for friends! I'm asserting my authority!"

Grulp then came back.

"It's true. You're practically the third most powerful person in Townsville, after the Mayor and Ms. Bellum," Grulp said.

"Music to my ears! It's a good thing you finally recognized my superior rank. Rest assured that, whatever slight or resentment which you may harbor because of some six-year-old boy giving you orders, it would only be temporary. Probably before Christmas, I'll be back to being plain Brick Edwards. But as for now, I demand that you address me either as sir, or Mr. Edwards, as my rank demands!"

"Brick, I mean sir, Mr. Edwards, the police force, certainly I, doesn't hold any resentment at it. In fact, you're our heroes. We are proud to serve under you!" Chief Grulp said, and the look of his eyes showed that he was sincere.

"All I can say, is, thanks. Now Chief, we should go to your office, since it would be more comfortable and we need privacy for our discussion."

"Yes sir, Mr. Edwards," the Chief said, before leading the two leaders to the office of the chief of police.

The police chief went to his office chair, while the two sat on two chairs besides the table facing the Chief.

"Well, sir, what is it you wish to discuss?"

"Miss Utonium, my second-in-command, might express it more clearly. Okay Blossom, tell him your concerns about the refugees of Townsville."

"Okay Chief. As you know, Ckracknow attacked Citiesville…"

"Yeah! Who in Townsville doesn't know that? But doesn't it seem strange that all the broadcasts from that city vanished after that last speech of Ckracknow?" Grulp interrupted.

"That's because I banned broadcasts from that city because it would be bad for morale," Brick said.

"You did?" a surprised police chief asked.

"Yes."

"Anyway, as a result of the attacks, many people from the suburbs of Citiesville fled," Blossom continued. "Since ours is the nearest city, they descended on us like a plague. Since the attack, about 50,000 people have arrived in this city. Now, here are some facts—the thing is, we were too late in our action of banning TV broadcasts from Citiesville, since Ckracknow was able to scare not only the Citiesvillans but the Townies too. You know that speech about threatening to attack and destroy this city like he did Citiesville if they did not turn us over, raze our house, and kill our Dads?"

"The situation is worsened by the fact that the people of Citiesville hates us because of what we did to their bridge a few months ago. Now, if you combine that hate with the fact that they are deathly afraid of Ckracknow, it would be very unpleasant."

"The potential for trouble was clearly illustrated last night. Although most Townies were convinced by the Mayor's excuse, the Citiesvillans did not, and were able to convince the more intelligent people of this town. And so, a small portion of them formed a mob, and that mob tried to raze our house. Fortunately, I was able to convince the Townies portion of that mob to stand fast with us, but not the Citiesville portion of the mob. They were too bitter for that."

"Fortunately, after the departure of the Townies, the mob was halved, and the Citiesvillans went home, discouraged. However, I don't believe that's the end of it. I fear that the rest of the refugees would riot and try to get to us."

Brick took over. "Anyway Chief, if—let's say—all fifty thousand Citiesvillan refugees rioted, would you be able to control them?"

"I don't know. I don't think we have enough police officers," said Grulp. "Unless we arm them all with M-16 and AK-47 and order them to shoot at the rioters."

"How many officers can we mobilize?" asked Brick.

"About 5,000 max," said Grulp.

"That's bad. Anyway, is there space enough in our jails for the potential rioters?"

"In our regular jails, no. But there is a camp just outside here that was originally built in the Second World War to house German POWs. It can be reactivated, and we could hold at least ten thousand there. And there is—of course—the two newly completed maximum security prisons that opened just this week, which can house ten thousand."

"So at maximum we can hold in jails only twenty thousand? Oh well, we'll just have to find another way to hold the rest," said Brick.

"Sir, I think it's not our policy to imprison rioters. We just disperse them and tell them to go home!" Grulp said.

"Well, I'm changing the policy! If the refugees riots, we'll toss every single one of them in jail!" Brick asserted. "Okay. Have you any gas—like tear gas, sleeping gas, or at least, laughing gas?"

"We don't have them," said the police Chief. "Since the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys do much of the heavy stuff, the city cut our budget drastically."

"Well, have you got those shields and clubs you use to beat people up? And do you have enough to arm every single officer?"

"Well, yeah. We have those in abundance."

"That will have to do. I don't know much about police work like you do, so I'm leaving you the details of working out an anti-riot plan. And if another riot did break out and you fail to stop it, I'm going to fire you and replace you with someone who can," Brick said.

"But sir, I though the Ruff-Puff Alliance should do it, I mean if we can't handle it," Grulp protested.

"Look, the Ruff-Puff Alliance job is to protect the city from things that humans couldn't protect themselves from, like Monsters and villains. Crime and riots—you police can handle—so I'm leaving it to you. You shouldn't expect us to tie your shoes or fix your plumbing for you!"

"Anyway, I want you to put the entire police on high alert! We don't want to be caught with our pants down, do we? If there is a riot, we'll probably help, but only if you prove yourselves absolutely incapable of handling it!" Brick said before leaving.

After that, both Blossom and Brick left the Police station and went back to their home.

* * *

"Brick, I think you should improve your attitude! You acted way too arrogant towards the Police Chief," said Blossom.

"Did I?"

"Well, you threatened to fire him! That isn't any way to make a good first impression! I know that you can fire people now that you were given the authority, but don't you think you're going too far?"

"If anything, he should have been fired! If anything, the entire police force should have been fired for their stupidity and incompetence! In fact, I was showing much mercy when I let him stay! In fact, I don't know why Ms. Bellum didn't fire the entire police force yet!"

"Well she didn't need to," Blossom said. "Besides, even if they are sometimes incompetent, most of them are hardworking, loyal and good hearted."

"And they are incompetent still!" Brick said. "Problem is, the city relied too much on you girls for way too long that it could afford to have an incompetent police force. You shouldn't have done things that the police could have done."

"Yeah, we shouldn't have, but that still doesn't give you the right to threaten to fire the Chief of Police!"

"On the contrary! If you read the paper, not only could I threaten to fire him, I could actually do it! Not only do I have physical power, I also have political power! I am powerful, hahahahahah!"

"Yeah, but what you did is completely unnecessary!"

"That's debatable. Anyway, let's go home. We still have to train."

* * *

Two hours later, Buttercup and Bubbles had just woken up. She was fine, as Brick predicted. The fight was so short that it didn't do much damage other than to knock her out.

"Oh, that Brick is worse than Blossom!" Buttercup said. "Blossom wouldn't have done this to us!"

"Well, we're alright now, and we are at fault, so I don't think he did anything bad. Though I would prefer to be tickled than to be knocked out in a fight for punishment! I was scared, very scared of what actually might happen at level 30. I though I was going to be beaten up for an hour or so before being knocked out. Turns out it wasn't that bad."

"Well, I'd rather get knocked out a fight than get tickled while tied up," Buttercup said.

"So you two are awake?" Blossom asked. "Are you felling okay?"

Both of them looked at the bottom of the bed, where they saw Blossom, Brick, Boomer and Butch floating just above, looking at them.

"I'm okay! The punishment was actually like harder training—only it was too short to actually hurt!" Bubbles said while stretching and yawning.

"Not bad at all, no thanks to you Brick!" Buttercup bitterly said.

"Well, you deserved it! At least you learned your lesson," Brick retorted back. "Well, time to train! We still have to become stronger than Ckracknow's teens."

"Yeah right," Buttercup said. "And that wasn't a punishment at all! I could easily beat level 30! I just was tired and fell asleep before I could properly fight. If I fought refreshed, I could have easily beaten it!"

"Yeah right, especially since you actually fought at level 25, not 30," Butch sneered.

"Level 25? But you told us it was level 30!"

"Nah, it was just to scare you two! And by the looks of your faces when we threw you in, you were!" Boomer said.

"Ha! I was just pretending to be scared to fool you!" Buttercup said.

"Whatever! Come on, we have training to do!" Brick sighed, ignoring Buttercup's boast.

The six kids trained the entire afternoon, surpassing level 19, then beating level 20, and with great difficulty, level 21.

* * *

That afternoon…

It was peaceful that Friday afternoon, unless of course one ignores the riots.

Actually, it didn't begin as a riot. A group, maybe a hundred or so Citiesville refugees, demonstrated on the streets of Townsville against the Powerpuff Girls, demanding that they immediately attack Citiesville, and calling for the giving in to Ckracknow's demands if the kids didn't attack. They carried signs mocking the Townsville Mayor, its inhabitants, the city itself, but especially the six heroes and their fathers.

Townsville bystanders got angry at the disrespect that the demonstrators were showing to their heroes and to their city, and so began booing and insulting them.

It came to a head when some Townies began pelting them with eggs and tomatoes and pieces of paper. The Citiesvillans got irked, and some of the more violent ones began beating up those who pelted the crowd. Then, they began throwing stones at the Townies.

Soon, a large fight occurred, when more Citiesvillans and Townies joined in.

However, the situation turned up-side-down, when people from the refugee camps began joining their fellow Citiesvillans. The trickle became a flood, and soon, the streets of Townsville was swamped by the refugees, beating up any Townies they could find.

After ten minutes, the streets of the eastern part of Townsville were deserted by Townies as they were outnumbered. In fact, there were about twenty thousand hostile Citiesvillans, about two-fifths of all the refugees from the Suburbs of Citiesville, in the streets, most of them men and women over the age of 16.

Pretty soon, they found that there were no more Townies to beat up so they began smashing windows, and systematically destroying the property in the area. Soon, that part of Townsville was in flames as the rioters systematically looted the buildings before setting fire to it.

The police, which in that area was quite few, about three hundred, were overwhelmed by the sheer number of rioters, and were helpless in the face of overwhelming numbers.

* * *

Meanwhile…

The boys and girls were having a break from training. They had just beaten level 22, though it wasn't easy. Most of them were covered with sweat, though all of them showered and changed clothes.

They were relaxing at the living room, watching TV, when suddenly, there was a news flash.

"Breaking news! It seems as if thousands of Citiesville refugees lost their heads and began rioting! Police seem to be helpless as they are outnumbered! East Townsville is in flames!"

"Boys, you know what to do!" the doctor said, his eyes glued to the TV.

"And girls, you know their duty as well," the Professor said.

They just nodded and flew off.

"Blossom, take your sisters and put out the fires on the buildings," Brick ordered. "Boomer, go to the police station and ask Chief Grulp the present situation. Butch, come with me. We're going to City Hall!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the angry mob—all twenty thousand of them—suddenly marched out into the city, and walked towards the suburbs—towards the home of Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium. The girls were too busy putting out fires to notice the shift. In fact, the Powerpuffs were relieved because the girls thought the rioters left the city. Unfortunately, they didn't notice that the Citiesvillans were marching to their homes.

All in all, it was less like a mob, and more like an army. All of them were baying for blood—the Professor and Doctor's blood to be precise.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"See how my plan turned out?" Ckracknow boasted to Alpha, Epsilon, and Shippe who accompanied him in his private room on top of a skyscraper. The other three, Beta, Cychaela, and Delta, as usual, were having "fun" on the island city, and picking up the next victims of the hourly killings.

They were looking at a giant screen TV, watching the news. They saw three streaks of light putting out the fires on the buildings.

"How convenient. Those girls probably think that the people melted back and stopped, when actually they are marching to their house. Ah look, a large crowd gathered in front of City Hall to defend the Mayor and Ms. Bellum. Problem is, the mob isn't going to attack them, but the suburbs. I wonder how they would feel when the heroes return home and find their homes burned to the ground, and their Dads dead?" Ckracknow said, then laughed. "Pity that it would distract them from watching the hourly killings!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick and Butch arrived at the front of City Hall, where Ms. Bellum and the Mayor were standing besides a podium reassuring the people.

The crowd, mostly Townies, cheered as they saw Brick and Butch descend and land besides the Mayor.

"Okay, what's the situation?" asked Brick.

"Well, the entire East Side is burning. Not much else, since the crowd seemed to have disappeared," Ms. Bellum said.

"And the police? Where are the 5,000 police that Chief Grulp promised?"

"They're spread out across the city," Chief Grulp, who suddenly arrived with Boomer carrying him. "If we use all of them to fight the mob, then criminals would roam free in those areas where we withdraw the police. We can't have all five thousand police to fight the rioters, or there'd be no police to be guard the city."

"Good point. Anyway, the riots ended. Glad nobody died," Brick sighed.

* * *

Suddenly, there was a call on Grulp's cellular phone.

"Yes? What? In the suburbs! Shit! Okay!" Grulp said on the phone. "Sir, I think the crowd didn't melt. They are marching towards your home!"

The eyes of Brick widened.

"Chief Grulp, I want you to stop the crowd. And I want not only to disperse those twenty thousand, but to beat them up until they cry uncle, and to throw each and every one of them in jail! But don't kill them. Death is too merciful a punishment to inflict on such ingrates! Leave five hundred to police the city, but the rest, send them to the suburbs!"

Chief Grulp nodded and left to direct the police forces trying to stop the mob.

Ms. Bellum, who had been listening to the conversation, had a suggestion. "Brick, how about using the people? There are more Townies than there are refugees, so I think if they backed up the police, they would be of much help."

"Well, might as well," Brick said. "Okay, Ms. Bellum, ask them."

"No Brick. You should ask them. They are looking up to you, not me, to provide leadership."

"So I'll do a Blossom and speak to them. Okay, but only on the condition that you'll approve my decrees for this city."

"What decrees?"

"I'll put it in the speech. Agree?"

"Okay," Ms. Bellum said.

Brick stepped into the podium and began his speech to the expectant crowd.

"People of Townsville, I am William Bricker Edwards Jr. and I am the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance. Furthermore, I have been given authority to govern this city until the present crises has passed."

"You know the events of the past few days since Ckracknow's attack on Citiesville, so I won't repeat it to you. I am not a great public speaker like Blossom, so excuse me if I fall short of expectations."

"This city has been very generous to the refugees of Citiesville. In spite of the overcrowding of this city, we still gave them homes and a hope of a new life. We gave all to help this people, and as a result, they lived very comfortable lives as refugees. And the heroes of this city, us, have made it our cause to free Citiesville."

"But what have they done? They have stabbed the back of their provider, falling into Ckracknow's trap. Despite our efforts, despite Blossom's pleas, despite our generosity, they still wrought great destruction upon this city by their rioting! They seek that we, the Ruff-Puff Alliance, would foolishly fight the five when we are not ready, and they would actually try to burn our house and kill our Dads because they're scared to do the right thing! Is that the way to show gratitude to those who had given much to them, and to those who is their only hope of reclaiming their city? "

"And so, on the basis of the authority given to me by the Mayor of Townsville, I hereby declare Martial Law on Townsville, placing the city under military rule."

"I also hereby suspend the writ of habeas corpus, meaning that anybody who is perceived a security threat might be imprisoned without charges filed against him."

"I hereby prohibit the assemblage of more than three hundred people in one place, and if anybody would violate it, it would be dispersed and the violators would be imprisoned."

"And anybody who would take part in the riots would be thrown in jail."

"I hereby prohibit more refugees from entering the city."

"But this would only be in effect until Ckracknow is defeated. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but it is needed for our security."

"And all who participated in today's riot will be imprisoned until the crisis is over."

"Anyway, I'd like to ask you for your help. The police are only about 5,000 strong, while the rioters are about 20,000. I'd like you to be the heroes! Take some sticks and other tools, and beat the hell out of those rioters! Crush them! Kick them where it hurts!"

"People of Townsville, defend your homes! For this hoard aims the destruction of our city, and must be stopped and punished! Take up arms, help the police, and crush those rioters! Crush them with all the righteousness that you can muster! Crush them and show what you wouldn't always depend on us superheroes! Crush and punish them, since they have brought upon themselves the punishment that they deserved! Pour our wrath upon them, for if not, every house and every building will be in flames, as if Ckracknow himself had sent his five teens here! People of Townville, the path to glory awaits you as you defend your homes, and teach those ingrates a lesson!"

"CRUSH THEM!" the crowd chanted as the Ruff-Puff leaded egged them on.

"For Townsville!" Brick shouted.

"FOR TOWNSVILLE!" the crowd responded.

The crowd was whipped up into a frenzy as Brick rallied them. Soon, there were eager and spoiling for a fight with the Citiesville mob.

Ms Bellum then directed that all Townies engaged in anti riot activities wear a white head band to reduce confusion and prevent mistakes.

Brick departed City Hall with his brothers, and they were joined by the Powerpuff Girls who had just put out the last of the fires in the East Side of the City.

They flew back home to defend the house in case the police fail to break the riot.

When they flew on the way home, they were astonished to see hundreds upon hundreds of police cars, and many many more prison wagons. What was more amazing was the line of police blocking the path of the rioters at an empty part of the suburbs.

The police line was divided into three parts, each 1,500 each. There is the center, the left flank, and the right flank. All of them had helmets, padded clothing, and other apparel a police might need in this situation. A thousand on each part was armed with a club with a large shield protecting them while the remaining five hundred were armed with fully loaded M-16s. They were standing shoulder to shoulder, with the men with M-16s at front, guns pointed at the crowd, while the other thousand were just at their back.

The mob saw the police line, and showing their contempt, charged the center, aiming to split the police formation into two. To their pleasant surprise, the center retreated, and they chased after it. But after running about a hundred yards, they turned around and stood their ground.

The mob, to their surprise, found themselves surrounded on three sides, as both the left flank and right flank of the police wheeled in as the crowd pushed the center back.

Soon, the sight of M-16 rifles pointed at them at three sides unnerved the rioters, and they stopped their charge. But they still outnumbered the police 4-1.

"Surrender, and no one will be hurt," Chief Grulp, standing on the top of his car with a bullhorn, shouted. He directed the formation of the police.

Brick, his brothers, and their female counterparts just watched in admiration, as they did not know the police was capable of doing something competent.

The crowd roared in defiance.

"If you do not surrender within five seconds, the police will have no choice but to shoot!"

The mob didn't surrender.

"Five, four, three, two, one!"

"Final chance! Surrender, or die!" the Chief shouted.

No one surrendered.

"You asked for it! Fire!"

Soon, one thousand five hundred police with M-16 rifles fired their guns at the crowd of twenty thousand on three sides.

Confusion and panic swept the crowd as they were soon covered with what seemed to be blood, and retreated.

The girls gasped at this violence. However, they all noticed that no one was killed.

"How the hell did that happen?" asked Boomer.

"They used blanks, and they used red paint to make the rioters believe they were wounded and shot. Of course, in their fear, they didn't realize it, so they panicked and began to run away," Blossom explained. "They think that the police actually fired on them."

"That's one smart son of a gun! I change my opinion of Grulp! He's one hell of a tactician!" Brick said. "Just like the battle of Cannae where Hannibal defeated a superior Roman force by double envelopment. Now all we lack is cavalry, but I think that that would be remedied soon! Look!"

There was another mob, about ten thousand strong, coming towards the scene. It was composed of Townies angry at the Citiesvillan rioters. They were carrying sticks, clubs, and such, and were only distinguishable from the Citiesville crowd by the white cloth tied around their heads, and by the fact that a great number of Citiesvillans were covered in red paint.

They clashed with the Citiesvillans at their rear, and an ugly brawl occurred. Soon, the two crowds were beating each other up. But despite their numerical superiority, the Citiesvillans found themselves completely surrounded. At their front, right and left were the small but disciplined and heavily armed police, at their rear was the undisciplined but numerous and enthusiastic Townies.

The police at the front and flanks began closing in, and fired another round of blanks at the people, shooting red paint instead of bullets at the crowd. It caused the Citiesvillans to further panic, with no way of knowing that it was blanks and soon, the people next to the police began surrendering en masse by walking towards the police with their hands in the air.

The police with the M-16 just stood their ground, while the guys with the shield and the clubs at their back took them, cuffed their hands behind their backs, and escorted them to the police cars and wagons.

About 5,000 at the flanks surrendered in twenty minutes, and by the time they realized that the police were using blanks and red paint and that nobody died, it was too late. Far too many have surrendered, captured, or were knocked out.

At the rear, it was pretty much a close fight, but with the advantage to the Townies, who were backed by the police and who were not surrounded. Their tactic was to whisk away beaten up Citiesvillans to the rear, where they were tied up. The Citiesvillans could not do that because they had no rear, i.e, they were surrounded. Of course, many Townies were also beaten up, but they too were whisked to their own rear and treated by ambulances and doctors from Townsville who came to assist their compatriots, while the Citiesvillans had no such luxury.

After half an hour, the Citiesvillans, their numerical superiority gone, were losing, but still fighting. Most of the fighting was with the Townies since the police guarding the three flanks were content to not let any escape through them. The Citiesvillans were too afraid of the M-16s to attack the police, thinking that they had live shots.

Soon, 1,000 police with shields, helmets and clubs advanced and joined the melee, beating the rioters with their clubs. Then, the 1,500 police with M-16 rifles with blanks advanced and joined the beating, using their rifle buts to beat up as many rioters as possible.

All of this was directed by Police Chief Alexander Grulp, who on that day, won the admiration of everyone, including the Rowdryruff Boys and Powerpuff Girls.

It marked the end of the great riot when another 1,500 heavily armored police joined in. The remaining 500 police officers remained in the flanks to prevent any rioter from escaping.

Half an hour later, only 4,000 rioters remained standing. The rest were either knocked out, injured, or captured. Against them were 9,000 Townsville civilians and 5,000 police, who completely surrounded them and confined them to a narrow space.

Finally, they dropped their weapons, and raised their hands in surrender. All in all, one thousand Townsville civilians were injured, with none killed or captured. None of the police were remotely injured. About seven thousand Citiesville rioters were injured, two thousand knocked out, and the rest captured.

All of them, all twenty thousand, were detained. Those injured were treated in hospitals before being sent to prisons. Those who surrendered with no injuries where immediately sent off to jail or to detention camps.

During the entire time, the six kids were floating above the battle watching it. They were itching to join the fight, but Brick gave strict orders not to interfere unless the Townsville forces lost.

The Townsville Citizens who participated roared in cheers, and shouted praises to the six superheroes, and to Chief Grulp. The police cheered too, shouting and jumping.

"TOWNSVILLE! TOWNSVILLE!" the Towny mob chanted as they savoured their victory.

The six kids then went to the police Chief to congratulate him.

"Congratulations, Chief!" Brick said. "I never thought you could pull it off, but I was wrong! I'm sorry for threatening to fire you. I underestimated you."

"I understand," said Grulp.

"Yeah, that was a brilliant battle plan!" Blossom complimented.

"You were great!" Buttercup said. "As for the police, I'm changing my mind. You're not that bad!"

"Yup, the police may be incompetent in crime—fighting and monster handling, but as for riot control, you're the man!" Butch said, less complimentary than the others.

"That was great. Although it's sad that so many would get hurt," Bubbles said.

"Who the hell cares if every bone of those Citiesville ingrates was ground to powder? They can rot to hell for all I care," Boomer said. "But that was awesome! I thought we would have to help you, but we were wrong."

"Thanks, but the real credit should be to the people. I mean we were outnumbered four to one, and we don't have live shots, so even if we wanted to kill the rioters, we wouldn't be able to," Grulp said.

And so ends the afternoon, in utter defeat for the Citiesville refugee rioters. It was a proud victory for the city of Townsville, over Citiesville, without any help from their superheroes, and to a larger extent, a symbolic defeat of Ckracknow. However, it forever poisoned the relations between Townsville and Citiesville, with residents of both cities hating each other with a passion.

The entire east side of Townsville was destroyed, millions of dollars of property were lost, and only the work of Blossom and her sisters kept the fires from spreading.

And so, the people—whether Towny or Citiesvillan—wouldn't be a bother to the kids ever again. The Townies, thanks to Blossom, were too fond of them, and too loyal to be a threat, while the Citiesville refugees were too afraid, if they were not already imprisoned, to launch another large scale riot.

In any case, Martial Law and other harsh measures Brick instituted would've prevented another riot even if they tried.

But it left a legacy of bitterness between the two cities.

But for all the hype of the victory, there were still the five super powerful teens that the Ruff-Puff Alliance had to defeat, and at this stage, the kids were still no match for the five. And what was worst, the riots had diverted precious hours from their training.

But there was a ray of hope for Townsville at least. And for all humanity as the day of reckoning approached closer and closer.


	30. Secrets Revealed

**Allies and Rivals**

**Chapter 30 **

**Secrets Revealed**

The town of Citiesville was devastated, and the one ultimately responsible, Ferguson Ckracknow, was in his commandeered suite on the top of a high skyscraper. He was sitting on his chair behind a huge table, twisting in his fingers a large cylindrical metallic object. Besides him was the silent Epsilon, always guarding his master. Across the table was Harry Shippe.

It was the morning of December 15.

"It's funny really. This device outwitted Beta, Cychaela and Delta," Ckracknow said.

"Excuse me sir?" Harry said.

"Oh, you're not familiar with this decoy, eh?" Ckracknow then pressed a button, and a holographic image of Buttercup in flying form appeared.

"You see, this hologram is so realistic, that you won't know better by just looking at it. And this flies like a rocket, and is fast as a bullet! And all this! In fact it was so fast that those three finally caught two of them in the Rocky Mountains hundreds of miles away. The other two got lost."

"I think this is one of Dr. Edwards' inventions," suggested Shippe.

"Harry, the words, 'Decoy: Invented by Dr. William Edwards' gave it away, doesn't it? Well, this is proof enough that Dr. Edwards is a brilliant inventor and scientist. But when all is said and done, he pales in comparison to the brilliance of his friend, John Utonium. That is why it's so important that they are removed from the equation, don't you think, Harry?"

"Yes sir," the spy merely nodded.

"Pity that the riot the other day didn't succeed! I mean, who would've thought that Blossom and Brick are such good orators, who in their eloquence persuaded the dim Townies to act? And who would've have thought that the Townsville police are capable of being competent? Anyway, Harry, I think you should tip off Edwards and Utonium about Malakey's participation in the riot. He is no longer useful to us."

"But sir," Harry protested. "You promised that…"

"I don't give a hoot about my promises. Although I must commend him for his brilliance in organizing those riots, Malarkey, when all is said and done, failed! And therefore, I would like to get rid of him!"

"Yes sir," Shippe said, and left the room.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alpha arrived.

"You called for me sir?"

"Yes Alpha, come here," the short man beckoned, "and sit."

The silver haired teen-ager did as told and sat in a chair opposite Ckracknow.

"As you know, your siblings were on the verge of victory the other day when Bubbles and Buttercup came to rescue the people, as I predicted they would. But still, they were tricked by decoys, and so escaped."

"Sir, I would like to apologize for my siblings…"

"No need to apologize, Alpha. I don't blame them. Even I would have been fooled by the decoys the first time."

"Aye. Dr. Edwards must be one smart fellow to have invented such a device."

"Dr. Edwards is one smart guy. Very brilliant in many aspects indeed! But in terms of science, Utonium is far superior. Edwards is more of a businessman, Utonium a scientist. And they are friends, allies, so it doesn't matter to us. But funny thing is, twenty years prior, even a year ago, they were bitter enemies!"

"Enemies? How could they? I know they are our enemies, but sir! Come on! We know those two are close friends. You even told us about them when they were captured."

"Well, it happened when they were in college about twenty years ago. They had a falling out. They were best of friends before that, but the funny thing is, it's Morebucks who was ultimately responsible for their hating each other!"

"Morebucks? You mean Spencer Morebucks?" asked a curious Alpha.

"Yup. Anyway, just to let you know, don't you know that all my cloning abilities, the reason that One, Two, you, Beta, Cychaela, Delta, and you Epsilon, and of course, and most of my henchmen exists is because of Utonium? In his college years, Utonium discovered the secrets of cloning years before the other scientists cloned Dolly the sheep. Thanks to Edwards naivety, Morebucks got this information and gave it to me. Ah, you seemed confused, Alpha."

"Well, could you tell me the whole story? It's really confusing getting all this information piecemeal. It's like pieces of the puzzle. It only whets the appetite to know the actual picture, but you have only have bits and pieces and need more."

"Very well. It started a long time ago. Since it's founding two hundreds years ago, Townsville has been dominated by three families. The Morebuckses, the Edwardses, and the Utoniums. Generally, the Morebucks family concentrated on business, while the other two concentrated on politics. Don't you know that for the last two hundred years, two-thirds mayors of Townsville had either a surname of Edwards or Utonium, or were married to those two families? And those that weren't were controlled by members of either family? Members from those two families sent senators and congressmen to Washington, sent governors to the state capitol! Members of the three families were prominent scientists, mathematicians, engineers, architects and historians, were University Presidents, were cabinet members, were generals in almost every war this nation has fought. Those three families were dynasties in every sense of the word."

"The real conflict occurred when the present Edwards grandfather, Mortimer, set up a business selling typewriters. This caused bitter competition between the two families in business, and it's still existing. Soon, the two families not only were rivals, but loathed each other too."

"Percival Utonium, Mortimer's contemporary, got envious, and threw all his money into business. Unfortunately, unlike the others, he had horrible business sense, and as a result, lost everything in the 1929 stock market crash. He further lost his family's accumulated wealth when all the business he invested in failed during the Depression."

"Now, a more severe blow was dealt during World War II. Percival has eight sons, while Mortimer had seven. One son died at Pearl Harbor, one at Guadalcanal, another at Midway, one more at Kasserine Pass, three at Sicily, one at Anzio, one at New Guinea, another at a bomber raid over Germany, another at D-Day, another at the Battle of the Bulge, and another at Iwo Jima. Sounds like a history of the war! All died in glory, in sacrifice, in heroism, but in the end, they're still dead, and it struck a powerful blow at both men. At the end, each of them had only one son who survived the war."

"Those two were the fathers of John Utonium Jr. and William Edwards Sr., our adversaries. Charles Edwards and John Utonium Sr. were hard pressed by their fathers to excel at everything as the surviving heirs of the family name. And they lived up to it. Edwards made the family billionaires by expanding the family business to such great heights, while Utonium became a respected Professor at the University of Townsville, and later became its president. He was a great scientist whose name was attached to many discoveries and won Nobel Prizes in Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Morebuck's father became jealous of Edwards and wanted to pull him down."

"Anyway, the tradition continued with the birth of John Utonium Jr., William K. Edwards Sr., and Spencer Morebucks. They were born in the same year. They were only sons, and had no sisters. And Utonium and Edwards became best friends. I was a child then, and I remember those two spent half their time in detention, and was always at the principal's office. They were the naughtiest and the most hard-headed boys in town, even more so than Spencer Morebucks. They were very close to each other. Anyway, probably, the only reason they weren't expelled was because of their high intelligence. Yes, from preschool until college, they were at the top and unchallenged. They won every school competition, won every school election, were always at the top two, and they had no grade lower than A. The only thing that disappointed their teachers was their rowdy behavior, and their tendency to do pranks, tricks, get into trouble, organized fights and such. But they still graduated with top honors. Maybe it was the result of the pressures to continue the family tradition of being always at the top because they are the sole male heirs of the great family traditions. Spencer Morebucks looked at them with envy and jealousy, with a desire to pull them down, because he himself cannot compete in any way with them. Besides, family competition still lingered on."

"He got his chance in college. I was a student at the same University with them. Utonium was in the lab, and was able to discover the secrets of cloning, while Edwards discovered, at the same time, the secrets of chemical X. Now, Morebucks saw his chance."

"Now when Utonium showed his results to Edwards, Edwards was furious. He told him that cloning is evil, especially if it fell in the wrong hands. Of course, Utonium doesn't want to destroy something that he had worked so hard on. Soon, they were shouting at each other. Edwards vowed to Utonium's face that he would destroy his discovery in cloning for the good of mankind, while Utonium dared him to do it. A few more angry words between them, and Edwards stormed off, vowing to save the world from cloning."

"Now comes the funny, or interesting part. Alpha, it seems that you're bored by my narrative."

Alpha, who, with Epsilon, was now listening intently, protested.

"No sir. It is just getting interesting. How did Morebucks destroy the friendship of Edwards and Utonium?"

"Okay. Morebucks and I were walking down at the lab corridor when he overheard the heated exchange between the two. He immediately saw an opportunity to break up the two's friendship. At first, we just shadowed Edwards. Edwards, the next night, went to the lab, carrying a baseball bat, still followed by Morebucks and me."

"What sir, you were in the plot too?" Alpha asked.

"Yes, I was Morebuck's henchmen during that time. Although I was very bright, I was a nobody compared to those three, and nobody knew I existed, but that was just fine for me. I was noticed by Morebucks during my highschool days, and our association continues till this day."

"To continue, we were following Edwards, when he suddenly had a change of heart. He immediately regretted his words, and decided not to do it and apologize to his friend. Now there was a crisis, as Morebucks' plans were nearly wrecked. But it was saved when Edwards, instead of going home, went to a bar—still holding his baseball bat and drank until he was dead drunk. We joined him, but since he was drunk, he didn't recognize us, and babbled away all his feelings and such. He then collapsed—too drunk to go home. Seeing an opportunity, we dragged him to the University lab where the work of Utonium on cloning was located. Morebucks and I immediately—using Edwards baseball bat—began smashing the various lab equipment. We then stole all of Utonium's notes, and all his calculations, then burned other pieces of paper to make it look like all of those were lost forever—and we used Edwards's lighter and matches doing it."

"After doing our work, we dragged the drunk Edwards into the lab, and placed the baseball bat in one hand and the lighter at the other end. And we left. We learned then that Edwards, after waking up, thought that he himself had done this while he was drunk, since all of us do things while drunk and not realize it until it was too late. Confronted by Utonium, Edwards, instead of apologizing and saying that he was drunk and had a change of heart, was too proud to say this, and freely admitted destroying it for the greater good, though if he ever knew the truth, he would know that it was Morebucks and I who did the dirty work. That led to the end of their friendship, as Utonium angrily promised vengeance upon his former friend."

"It was a masterpiece. Morebucks and I stole the secrets of cloning from Utonium, while making it look like Edwards destroyed it, and making Edwards think that he actually destroyed it!"

"Now the next phase of our plan concerns chemical Xymchermite, or Chemical X. It was researched both by Edwards and Utonium at the same time, but Utonium had his time divided between cloning and chemical X, while Edwards had his time solely focused on chemical X. It was no surprise that Edwards was the first one to complete it. Utonium was not far behind, but he kept getting stuck on some key components that Edwards independently discovered. The thing to remember was that both studies were conducted secretly from each other, meaning that they didn't know that they were researching the same thing at the same time. And it's just as well for us."

"Now, Morebucks and I knew all this because we have duplicate keys for both their dorm rooms, and during their class hours, Morebucks and I usually went to their rooms and check their notes."

"It was a few days after the last incident, when we decided to make our move. We went into Edwards' room when he was away, copied the crucial and missing notes that Utonium had not been able to figure out, then wrote the missing formulas in Utonium's notebook. Of course, Utonium thought that he had figured it out by himself when he saw those extra notes on the secrets of Chemical X. Unlike Edwards, who kept the notes to himself, Utonium immediately announced it to the world."

"Edwards was ticked off, as he thought that Utonium stole his chemical X, which in a way, he did. He accused Utonium of such. Utonium, to spite Edwards, admitted that he did, even though he thought he was lying when he said it, but he was nearer to the truth than he ever imagined. He said that it was his revenge for Edwards destroying his cloning work. Though he clearly thought at the time that he really discovered Chemical X, and Edwards was just bluffing."

"It all came to a head when Utonium was presenting it in the auditorium to an audience a month later. At the middle of his presentation, Edwards burst in and angrily announced to a startled audience that Utonium stole his work. He showed his own notes, but it backfired of him. He himself was accused of plagiarizing Utonium's notes, and since he had no proof that his was first, Edwards was expelled from the University of Townsville for plagiarism. And from then on, it was downhill for William Edwards."

"It became worse when his fragile mother heard about it. She was so upset that she had a heart attack and died. His father, in despair that his only son was expelled and blaming him for his mother's death, disowned him and withdrew financial support. Crushed, the proud Edwards, instead of apologizing, left Townsville, vowing never to return."

"Now, Morebucks and I kept Utonium's notes on cloning, though we failed in our endeavor to steal Chemical X. Indeed, we never thought Chemical X was of much significance then so we didn't try too much. What a mistake! But Morebucks was ecstatic. Not only had he broken up his two most dangerous rivals, he had effectively destroyed the only heir to the Edwards family. Now he had only to focus on Utonium. Plus, he had the secrets of cloning and he turned it over to me. I, of course, had no money to put any of it into fruition so we had to wait until Spence Morebucks' father died after he himself graduated with an MBA, and as an only son, he became the head of the entire family, along with it's wealth and power and the gigantic businesses. He then gave me the necessary money to build bases on two islands. I then used Utonium's notes, plus the money that Morebucks gave me, to create an army of clones. And the rest is history."

"Sir, how did Edwards come back from the dead?" asked Alpha. "I mean if he fell so much, how did he struggle back up?"

"It is the testament to his tenacity, his intelligence, and above all, his will that not only did he get back, he came back higher than any of us imagined in so short a time. It revealed qualities in his character that nobody ever thought he had, and it made him a harder, harsher, crueller, shrewder man that ultimately made him superior to Morebucks, and in my opinion, to Utonium."

"He went to Citiesville, where for three years, he waited on tables, washed dishes, swept floors so he can earn his way into college. Since his father absolutely refused to send a single cent to his son, it was hard. It was a great downfall, to live from a life of privilege and power, to what he was then, an outcast in his own city and family. With great difficulty did he earn enough money to enrol at Citiesville University, although he was nearly denied admission because of the plagiarism charges at Townsville University."

"Utonium, meanwhile, graduated from Townsville University with full honors. He became famous as a wonder, as a boy scientist, and he immediately got the respect of the entire scientific community as a result of the Chemical X discovery. He became known as the most intelligent man not only in Townsville, but in the state. He became a Professor without due difficulty, in spite of his young age, at Townsville University. He, along with Morebucks, and Charles Edwards became one of the most influential men in Townsville. He married a few years later at age 25, but his young wife died a year later in a plane crash. He never remarried."

"Anyway, back to Edwards. The young man, now in his twenties, desperate to win back the favor of his father and burning for revenge against Utonium, struggled to eat and study at the same time. Once he was enrolled, he managed to get a scholarship, which eased his financial burden. Still, living in an alien city that he was raised to despise was psychologically hard. He persevered, and after seven hard years, graduated with a degree in medicine at the top of his class, a _summa cum laude._ However, he didn't receive in Citiesville the commendation that Utonium received in Townsville, and that further embittered him against this city. One year later, he topped the board exams and became a fully fledged doctor. From that moment on, he became known as Dr. Edwards."

"However, he was able to practice medicine only for a year, because a friend recommended him to the government, and the government, looking for new scientists to work on its' secret projects, hired him. Edwards, eager to advance, accepted, and for a couple of years, worked for the government. During this time, he married a young woman whom he met in Citiesville, but died two years later without giving any children, from pneumonia."

"He became a star in government, rising in prominence because of his intelligence and personality, his past forgotten. He had a hefty salary, which combined with loans and shrewd investments, made him a wealthy man independent of his father's money. But since his work was secret, nobody else knew about his enhanced reputation. This was the time of the monster attacks in Townsville, and he was assigned to combat the threat."

"His father, now old, became concerned about what will happen to his wealth. So the next time that William went begging for his father's forgiveness, instead of turning him back as he usually did, Charles Edwards forgave him, and then made his will making him—his only son—his sole heir for all his property. He then secretly made him the Vice President of Edtech Corp. One thing, however, rankled the relationship. Charles insisted that his son marry again so he would provide a male heir, but his son—now in his thirties—faithful to the memory of his dead wife, refused. Still, the old man hoped that he would change his mind, but one year later, he died, and Dr. Edwards inherited nine hundred billion dollars in wealth, plus the presidency of the Edtech Corp. He was now richer than Spencer Morebucks ever was."

"Now, Edwards was still working for the government, mind you, and used one of his lands to build an underground lab just on the edge of the suburbs of Townsville to provide training facilities for fighters who would combat the epidemic of monsters. However, four years later, the Powerpuff Girls appeared, and to the government, seeing no use for it, cancelled the project. The lab was already complete, and Edwards decided to buy the lab from the government for twenty billion dollars. The government accepted. During these four years, he was concurrently President and CEO of Edtech Corp. and used his business skills to quadruple his wealth."

"Meanwhile, Professor Utonium led a respected life at Townsville. He bought a house at another part of the suburbs of Townsville, constructed an underground lab with city funds, and a house above it. After a few years, the city, in gratitude to his service to the city, in magnifying its reputation to the nation, gave the lab to him for free. For Utonium, like Edwards, had not been idle. He produced works upon works published in scientific journals, invented inventions, and made scientific treatises. And won several Nobel prizes. As such, his deserved reputation as a scientist increased, and he became a proud addition to the list of accomplished men in the Utonium Family. Unlike Edwards, he led a stable and peaceful life, which, aside from the early death of his wife, was happy, and joyous. And contrary to legend, Professor Utonium did not create the Powerpuff Girls to combat crime and the monsters infestation—rather he created them to fulfil his life and to make him complete—it's only an accident that Chemical X was mixed into the formula. And even though the girls became superheroes, his life can't be any happier—his girls giving him the companionship he so desired since his parents' and his wife's death. Nothing could breach their perfect world. He was beloved by Townsville, and the introduction of the Powerpuff Girls only increased his stature."

"Anyway, Edwards resigned from the government soon after, and now was solely focused on business. He still of course, conducts scientific experiments. Now, at the advent of the Powerpuff Girls, his desire for revenge on Utonium increased, and his way to do it was to prove that the Powerpuff Girls were not made up of sugar, spice and everything nice, plus chemical X, and thus, prove Utonium a liar. Midway into this, however, Edwards made a new enemy in Mayor Malarkey of Citiesville."

"As you know, the Professor and the girls visited Townsville, and during the time, earned the enmity of the city when they destroyed the bridge. And as a result, it led to a severe economic depression on the city. Edwards then saw the vulnerability on the Citiesville economy, and began transferring his money and property to Townsville. As events proved, it was a wise decision."

"Malarkey, in order to relieve the financial burden of his city, led a campaign to capture Edwards' wealth, but Edwards bitterly resisted. Malarkey even imprisoned Dr. Edwards on a false charge of tax evasion, but was freed after a couple of days after his numerous lawyers disproved it. Finally, Malarkey expropriated all of Dr. Edwards' property in Citiesville, which thanks to Dr. Edwards foresight, only amounted to about thirty million dollars or so, a tiny fraction, really."

"Dr. Edwards desire to discredit Utonium did not diminish as a result of Malarkey's persecution. He learned of the Rowdyruff Boys, and was determined to repeat the experiment to disprove Utonium's claims. He just can't believe that living super powered creatures could be developed from sugar, spice, and everything nice, or from snips and snails and a puppy dogs tail. To his utter amazement, he was wrong, and the Professor was right. He unwittingly recreated the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Anyway, the boys were then as evil as you and me, and were burning of desire for revenge on the Powerpuff Girls. Well, in what was the most amazing feat, Dr. Edwards let the boys have their revenge, and at the same time endeared himself to them shortly after he moved back to Townsville. He, using their loyalty, step by step removed the evil from them, though he could not remove their animosity for the Powerpuff Girls. In a short while, Dr. Edwards made them his perfect sons. And the boys weren't even aware of a conscious decision to do so. And Edwards solved his biggest worry—a male heir to his wealth, influence and property—in fact he has three heirs, without being unfaithful to the memory of his dead wife. He deeply loved them. His family line could continue—and the name Edwards, if they survive this, will dominate the scene in Townsville for decades even after his death."

"Didn't you know that at the Townsville records, Dr. Edwards listed as their mother his dead wife, since she died five years before the Rowdyruff boys were resurrected, and the boys were biologically six years of age? He, unlike the Professor and Morebucks, had sons and the direct line wouldn't end with him. Utonium and Morebucks, who, unless they have sons, their family name would fade into history as their grandchildren will bear the family name of the men their daughters will marry. And so, if that happens, then the ancient struggle for influence in Townsville will be lost by the two families—Utonium and Morebucks, and could only be continued by the Edwards against new families. That is, if they survive to see the new year."

"Sir, in a few days, we'll wipe those two families off the face of the earth!"

"Ah, it's so good to hear! However, the biggest surprise for me and Morebucks, was his rapid reconciliation with the Professor. Even I couldn't fathom how those two did it without knowing the truth. I don't know how their intense hatred for each other disappeared. It's truly baffling! Now they were friends like they were when they were kids, and without knowing the entire truth that Morebucks and I were responsible for their breaking up in the first place. Though I admit, by kidnapping them and keeping them in one place, I might have something to do with it."

"And what was more amazing, and more fantastic, was that the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys have allied. Never in a million years will I figure out how those two enemies worked together! It just isn't natural or even rational! I would have to ask Shippe for information on that one, if only to complete the story. Anyway, Alpha, you will not tell this to anyone, not even Beta, Cychaela and Delta! This is a secret me and Morebucks will take to the grave," Ckracknow said.

''Yes sir," both Alpha and Epsilon said.

"But how did you know all this?" asked Alpha.

"Well, there is a proverb known as 'Know thy enemy,' so I made my research," Ckracknow said.

"So can I go now?" Alpha asked.

"Not yet. Come here, I'm going to show you something," Ckracknow said. "By the way, are the three keeping the hourly killings?"

"Yup! Delta, I found out, has a special talent for cameras, so he operates it. Beta and Cychaela usually are the ones who get in front of the camera and kill our innocent victims. They are good at it sir, and I'm sure that those who are watching us are shaking in their boots!"

"That's good. Now we have to assume that they wouldn't be idle all this time. Now, I'll ask you, what would they be most likely be doing right now?"

"Well, they should be training!"

"Right on! Now, it isn't a stretch to think that they'd train until they might be able to defeat you?"

"Sir, no matter how much training they can do, they'll never be able to beat us!" Alpha boasted.

"That's the spirit! But mind you, you must never have hubris. People with superior advantages often lose to inferior forces due to overconfidence. You must never ever act reckless, or you might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!"

"Sorry sir," Alpha apologized as the three entered an elevator at one end of the floor. Ckracknow then made the elevator go to the basement.

"Now, most probably, after they were nearly killed in their foolish rescue attempt, they'd probably think twice before going back here to confront us. I think that despite our provocations, they won't attack us until they are ready, which, according to my calculations, would be on the first weeks of January the next year."

"But sir, you assured us that they'd be too concerned with the lives of the people that they would come here even though they'd have no chance against us—only if to save lives!"

"And they did, and we still failed to eliminate them and they escaped," Ckracknow said, "and it's a stretch that they would do the same thing twice. Fool me once, and shame on you, and fool me twice, and shame on me! Despite their concern, they won't do it a second time. And my second plan, you know, my plan to scare the people of Townsville into getting rid of Edwards and Utonium failed when Blossom and Brick rallied the people and they clamped on the rioters. So, now, my third plan will be set in motion. It is obvious that the next course of action for the heroes would be to train until they are ready then attack us here in Citiesville. So in the past few days, I made a device that would increase your overall power by a factor of ten, thus making any training of the kids useless."

After that, they were quiet, as the elevator reached the bottom floor. The doors parted, and the three villains stepped out and walked a long corridor. They then went to another room.

The room actually was a large laboratory, with men with white coats working in it. One thing that struck Alpha and Epsilon was that all the lab workers had only whites in their eyes.

At the middle of the room was a huge machine. On the center was a room with a chair, with glass doors. At the top were a meter, and the needle points to the number 17. At its sides were large containers with a green liquid. But what was really nerve wracking about it was that five dead bodies were suspended in the green liquid on each of the glass containers. And the acid was slowly eating the bodies.

"Now, you see, that is the device. As soon as the needle reaches fifty, you go in, and someone out here will pull the lever, and in five minutes, you will be ten times stronger than now!"

"And how would the needle reach fifty?" asked Alpha.

"Ah, that is when there is sufficient energy in the machine to increase your power. And the power comes from the dead bodies which are slowly eaten away by the green acid. As soon as it consumes enough human bodies, it would generate enough energy to give you overwhelming power."

"So how long would it take?" asked Alpha.

"Well, if we feed this machine ten fresh human bodies everyday, and I mean fresh—you must kill the victim one minute before you put it in the green acid—at the least, it would be ready by about December 21—four days before Christmas."

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Mr. Shippe, you're late!" Dr. Edwards playfully admonished his secretary-spy.

"Sorry sir, but I was held up and…"

"Forget it! Come on! We are waiting for the latest information you can give us," Dr. Edwards replied.

"Well sir, I have a gold mine for you!"

"Okay. Let's go to the adjacent room, where we can discuss in private," the eager doctor said as he ushered Shippe to the room

Inside the room was Professor Utonium, reading a newspaper while sitting on a couch.

"Hello, Mr. Shippe," the Professor greeted.

"Okay Mr. Shippe, what information could you give us? You told me you had a gold mine, so off with it!"

"Well sir, Mayor Malarkey of Citiesville organized the riot the other day. He was the real ringleader, but he himself didn't join it so he wouldn't be implicated," the young man said.

The room was quiet for a minute.

"You have proof of this, Mr. Shippe?" Prof Utonium asked.

"Of course. Ckracknow himself gave evidence…"

"What? Why would Ckracknow do such a thing? And how did he obtain evidence?" asked the Professor.

"Well, Malarkey just did Ckracknow's bidding. After the failure of the riot, Ckracknow decided that he had outlived his usefulness, so he betrayed him by supplying me with bugged phone calls." Shippe then took three tapes from his pocket. "These are three telephone conversations on tape. The first one was Malarkey and Ckracknow planning the attack, the second one was Malarkey reporting the progress of the riot, and the third was Malarkey apologizing for the failure of the riot."

They two older men played the tape on their recorders, and it confirmed what Harry Shippe told them. Both men were extremely shocked that the mayor of Citiesville collaborated with such a hated figure as Ckracknow.

"I think we better call the police," Utonium said.

"No John. No. We can use this to our advantage," William Edwards said.

"But we can't do that!" Professor Utonium said.

"And why not?" Dr. Edwards said.

"Because, well, it would be illegal!"

"Don't worry! Brick is the one who controls the police and the courts of this city at this time, so it won't be illegal," the doctor assuaged his friend.

"If you put it that way, I guess you're right. But what are you planning?"

"Just watch. Mr. Shippe, will you please go to Malarkey's hotel and tell the mayor that John and I would want to talk with him here?"

"Yes sir," Harry Shippe said before leaving.

"Now we wait," the doctor said.

The doctor and the professor then played a game of chess while they waited the arrival of the Mayor of Citiesville.

* * *

An hour later…

Harry Shippe and Julian Malarkey arrived at the house, and immediately went to the room. Malarkey went first, followed by Shippe, who closed the door behind him. The Mayor was dressed in a brown suit and black tie. At the room, waiting, was William Edwards and John Utonium.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" asked the Mayor.

"Oh yes!" Utonium said. "I think it's a little quiet. Don't you think it's a better if we have a little music?"

"Well, I suppose a little music won't hurt," the white haired Malarkey replied.

"Ah, what do you think shall we play, Wagner, Tchaikovsky perhaps, or maybe Beethoven or even George Gershwin?" Utonium asked, looking at a bunch of tapes. "How about the Beatles?"

"Whatever you want. Look, my time is precious and I don't want to waste it talking such trivialities!" Malarkey protested.

"Ah, such killjoy," Utonium sighed. "Guess I'll just get a random tape!"

Utonium got a tape and played it on a radio. But to the horror of Malarkey, instead of playing music, it played on his conversation with Ckracknow, and exposed his role in organizing the riot.

The white-haired mayor's face turned white. He attempted to run away, but the door was blocked by Shippe, who had a gun pointed at him.

"Seat down, you piece of malarkey, Malarkey," Edwards commanded. "And listen to the piece of shit, I mean malarkey, that you made."

The Mayor, with knees and arms shaking, sat on another couch.

After the playing of all the incriminating tapes were over, Edwards rose, his blood boiling. "I never knew you could go so low, Malarkey! Even for such a vile creature such as yourself. It sickens me to think that you and Ckacknoo are of the same species as myself. Imagine that, organizing a mob whose sole purpose is to torch the city and my house, and for chopping our heads? Have you gone mad? Why bargain with the devil? Why make a deal to the same man who practically destroyed your city?"

Malarkey was looking at the floor, his pride broken, unable to look at his adversary in the face.

"Have you no shame? What kind of man are you?" Edwards thundered. "Or is your hatred for me such that you'd work with a man whose idea for fun is to kill the citizens of the city that you govern, every hour and show it on television? Is your desire to destroy me, thwarted when I actually lived in that cesspool you call Citiesville, so great that you would sell your soul to Ckacknow? And now that I have escaped your clutches, you would still persecute me by making a deal with such an evil man as Ckracklow?"

"Okay Malarkey," Utonium intervened. "Tell us your side of the story."

"Well, Edwards, even though you won't believe it, and I won't blame you if you don't, it wasn't desire to get back at you that motivated my disgraceful actions—though I admit, I was peeved that you got away from me just before I could seize most of your wealth. Anyway, here is what happened. It was the afternoon on December 12, right after I left the Mayor of Townsville's office with you. I was in my hotel, when suddenly the phone rang. It was Ckracknow. He asked me if I can organize a riot for the express purpose of killing you two," Malarkey narrated, looking at Edwards and Utonium. "I said he can kiss my ass. He then threatened a mass slaughter of civilians, and I heard on the phone people screaming right before being killed. He said that the only way I can save about one million civilians from being killed on the spot was if I do his bidding. What choice do I have? I need to protect my people, so I reluctantly agreed. So I organized the refugees from Citiesville, and the rest is history. He made additional phone calls to check the progress of the riots, and that's what you heard on the tapes."

"You should've known better than to trust Ckracknow," Utonium admonished. "He would've killed them even if you did follow him."

"I'm afraid we have no choice but to tell the police about this," Edwards said.

Suddenly, Mayor Malarkey, swallowing his pride, threw himself at Edwards, kneeling in front of him and grabbing his feet. "Oh please don't call them. Please. I only did it for the good of the citizens of Citiesville! Please! My reputation would be ruined if this ever goes out! Think of my wife! Think of my children! It would destroy them! Please, don't. I'll do anything."

Edwards tried shaking off Malarkey from his foot, but was unsuccessful, so he just kicked the old man in the stomach, and the white haired mayor staggered back to the other side of the room. He coughed, and he looked pathetic. But the mayor got no sympathy from the other men in the room, not even from Utonium, who was the most compassionate among the men in the room. Not to mention Edwards, who, it was clear to all, hated the Mayor.

"You're pathetic, you know that? Being on your knees, begging me like a little girl not to spank you and send you to the slammer. Well, you're not the only one I've hated, but I forgave the other one and we're now friends, but I won't forgive you! You made my last years in Citiesville a living hell, and now, when you are in trouble, you beg for our help, and what's your response? You organized a riot for the specific purpose of killing me and John, right after we gave you our help in fighting Ckrackwow? Okay, so you don't want me to call the police and expose you as the liar you are? Well here's my answer."

Edwards then grabbed the mayor by his shirt, and punched him in the face. He staggered back, but Edwards punched him again. He fell to the floor. He then began kicking him in the stomach while he was down.

Utonium and Shippe, who had watched this for the first few minutes, jumped in and restrained Edwards.

"Easy William. I know you're angry, and I am too, but we don't want to accidentally kill him, do we?" Utonium said.

Edwards calmed down. "My answer is we won't call the police if you accept our terms."

The Mayor of Citiesville, in physical pain, still managed to stand up and stagger to a chair, where he sat. "I'll do anything."

"Shippe, jot this down and type this into a document. First. Your city will have to pay for all the property damage the riot caused."

"Agreed."

"Citiesville will pay all the medical expenses of the Townies who were injured and wounded by the riot."

"Agreed."

"One third of all the income of the city will be given to the Townsville treasury every year as penance to what you and the refugees did to our city. Officially of course, it would for the gratitude that you would show the city for accepting the refugees and for saving the city from Ckracknon so that it won't look like petty revenge."

"Agreed."

"Furthermore, if and when I, John Utonium, or any of our families go to Citiesville, everything would be free, even the hotdogs and the newspapers, for us. You will be the one paying them, not us."

"Okay."

"Finally, you would do our bidding whenever we want, because if you don't, we would send these tapes to the news media, and your reputation would be blown to pieces, and you'd be arrested for conspiracy."

"Agreed," the humiliated Mayor said.

"Mr. Shippe, you got it on paper?"

"Yes sir," the young man said.

"Okay. Malarkey, do any one else know of your participation?"

"A few of the ringleaders of the riots," the Mayor said.

"Well, John and I will swear that you were here with us the whole time discussing strategy, but if you go back on your word, I swear to God that I'll release the tapes to the public and I will see you fall!"

"I understand. And thanks," Malarkey said.

"Now get out of my sight, you piece of shit!" Edwards said. However, instead of waiting for the mayor to get out, he took him by the collar, and physically threw him out of the house.

"William, that was too much!" Utonium scolded his friend.

"He deserves it. After all that we did for him and his city—and this is how he repays us? Lucky for him I didn't just shoot him then and there!" Edwards said. "In fact, I showed a remarkable self-control."

* * *

Three days later, on December 18…

The kids trained during that time—the three days. With no riots to worry the mind of the kids, they were free to be as strong as they could be. They drove themselves hard, and in an amazing feat even for them—reached level twenty-nine—eight levels in three days—by six p.m. December 18.

Brick increased his prestige and unpopularity. His prestige increased because he held greater power over his fellow man than Blossom had ever dreamt of. He had the city under his command, and was pretty much above the law. He can order anyone arrested and held without bail, he could ignore the law for himself and for his colleagues, he could order the police to shoot anyone he pleases, he could fire anybody, confiscate anyone's possessions and he can kill anyone—all without fear of the law—as long as he can justify it as necessary for the good of Townsville. But of course, since he was training all this time, he didn't use his new powers at all. He delegated most of it to Chief of Police Alexander Grulp, who used the powers wisely. He, during the night of the riot, proved himself an orator that could hold his own against the magnificence of Blossom's eloquence, and could convince the people to do what he wanted them to do. And he became very popular with the people as the result of the victory over the rioters.

Perhaps the paradox was that he reached heights of popularity with the people of Townsville, but reached lows of unpopularity within the Ruff-Puff Alliance—he became as unpopular as Blossom was when she was the leader. He conducted the training of the team in an unbelievably arrogant and high-handed manner. He never cared for their comforts, as long as they were physically healthy and reached his goal. He listened to no one's opinion but his own, his father's, and Blossom's. He demanded—and got—absolute obedience, and he used the threats of punishments to whip them into line. Nobody ever crossed him again as they knew he meant business when he said that he was going to punish them. He had the slave-driver's zeal, and that perhaps, was the reason they advanced so fast. Behind his back, however, there were murmurs and complaints that might swamp Brick as it did with Blossom during her leadership tenure.

He had one overriding goal in mind—victory, and the safety of his family. And having total control, in his view, is just a means to that end. And if it means losing the goodwill of others, then so be it. He had absolute confidence in himself, and would like to drive that point to the others who had doubts.

Foremost among the complainants was Buttercup. She noticed that Brick was even bossier than Blossom ever was. She began to regret her vote in the last election. She resented his punishments, but she absolutely disliked the way Brick talked to his colleagues. By the third day, she disliked him so much that she avoided him whenever possible and never ever talked to him again unless it was following orders. Still, she was waiting for the main battle and see if Brick can deliver the victory over the five teens that all of them crave. If Brick can deliver, she reasoned, she would like him again. But for now, she disliked him very much.

Bubbles not surprisingly had no grudge whatsoever, and whatever dislike she had of Brick melted away after a few hours, and she cheerfully trained hard, knowing that Brick's heart was in the right place.

For Blossom, it was different. She had no objections to Brick's method of training and bossiness, for she was just as bossy when she was the leader. She supported all of Brick's orders and never openly defied him. Most of their arguments were in private. Brick after all, regularly consults her with his decisions, and she was the only one whom he regularly asks for advice at all among the six. What rankled her was Brick's new power over the city. It was a power she never had in her hands even at the direst of Townsville's crisis. Sure, she at times commanded the city. But it was through her strength of character, the ability to persuade them to do what she wanted them to do, but all the while, she was not above the law, and she could not do what she wanted to. She couldn't get away with the things that Brick could theoretically get away with. It depressed her to think that the city never gave her such powers. But what she didn't realize was that Dr. Edwards was a far different character from Professor Utonium. Plus the fact that she desired to be the leader of the alliance again, and was secretly plotting his downfall as leader. But that would come later, when Ckracknow will finally be defeated—just like when Brick waited for their fathers to be rescued and Ckracknow be defeated the first time before making his move on the leadership.

Butch didn't mind his brother's arrogance and bossiness. He was used to it and even expected it. What rankled him was his perceived subservience to Blossom. That's right—even thought Brick was the one giving the orders—he still thinks he acts as Blossom's lackey. Maybe the reason was that Brick neither asks Butch's advice nor listens to him on important matters. And it was Blossom whom Brick listens to now, and Butch's resents it—unlike before the alliance when it was Butch who Brick always consults with. Of course, he ignored the fact that Blossom's advice was better, she was more intelligent, and has more common sense than Butch ever had and she does not make decisions base on emotions. Still, Butch resents the fact that even when Brick was the leader, Blossom was in all but name a genuine second-in-command, a position he felt as Brick's brother, and a boy, should belong to him. So he resents Blossom for allegedly stealing his position, and for Brick for allegedly letting Blossom control him. He regularly, in private, lashed out at Brick for this, but Brick just ignored him. But still, he will follow his brother to the ends of the earth—such was the loyalty of the brothers to each other.

Boomer for one complains very much, but he doesn't hold anything against his brother. In fact, like Bubbles, he had absolute faith in Brick, thinks he can do no wrong now that he's the leader, and doesn't resent Blossom in any way at this stage. Like Butch, he will follow his brother to the ends of the earth, but with less complaining.

And so it was that Brick's position among his peers actually weakened as his unpopularity increased, but it in no way endangered his leadership at the moment.

They reached level 29 at the close of the day.

* * *

Meanwhile…

It is four in the afternoon, and Harry Shippe had entered the bottom floor of the skyscraper of Ckracknow's building. He glanced around, looking for somebody.

"Looking for Master Ckracknow, Harry? If you must know, he is on the top floor, as always," a teen-age girl said. It was Cychaela.

Harry Shippe smiled at he girl. "Cychaela! Hm, could you do me a favor?"

"It depends what kind of favor," Cychaela suspiciously said. "If you think I would…"

"No, no, no, it's not what you think," Harry assured, laughing at Cychaela's suspicious. "You see I'm a little busy and I can't go and see Mr. Ckracknow, so could you tell Mr. Ckracknow himself."

"Well, I don't have time to play messenger. Do it yourself," the girl replied.

"Oh well, guess I'll just have to give Mr. Ckracknow myself some sensitive top high level intelligence that no one else should know. After all, only a privileged elite few can know the information I would give!"

Cychaela raised her eyebrows and looked eagerly at the young man. "Okay Harry, you got my attention. I'll deliver the message for you."

"Thanks. Tell Mr. Ckracknow that I learned that Butch likes to go to a plain forty miles west of Townsville to meditate alone. He does this every night!"

"Okay, I'll tell him," Cychaela said.

"Thanks a million," Harry replied. "I owe you one."

'Well, that certainly is news!' Cychaela thought. 'If we knew that Butch goes out alone outside Townsville, then we could have easily have dispatched him long ago. Master Ckracknow's right. The information Harry gives us is worth a glass of water in a waterless desert.' She began snickering to herself.

* * *

Later, in a plain forty miles west of Townsville, at seven in the night…

It was a cold night. The sky was partially cloudy, allowing light from the moon to illuminate the plain. However, every minute increases the thickness of the clouds and threatened to envelop the moonlight. The plain itself was barren, but that's only because it was winter. The ground itself was covered with snow. It was cold, with the temperature about 15 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping.

The plain itself was punctuated by high rising cliffs with plateaus on top of it. A strong cold wind blew, so strong that it toppled the less steady boulders at the top of cliffs. It also rustles through branches of hibernating trees to produce a howling sound, as if there was a wolf.

There was a figure floating in the middle of it all. The figure was that of skinny teen-ager, about 17 years of age, about 5'9". His black hair was beneath his thick bonnet that covered his head. His yellow eyes were the only part of his face not covered. A thick scarf was wrapped around his neck and lower face up to the nose. He also wore earmuffs. On the lower part of his body was a thick black jacket, his hands wearing thick gloves, though concealed as they were tucked into his pockets. Finally there were his thick pants, with the inner parts lined with wool to keep him warm. Finally, boots that were designed to resist snow.

Ever so often, Beta would glance to his watch and looked around, as if he was waiting for something.

Finally, Butch arrived. He too was bundled up, wearing a cap with ear covers, and a thick jacket with collars reaching up to his nose. He wore a green jacket, gloves, thick pants, and shoes.

"So you're not late," Beta remarked. "Let's get this over with. You want to fight one on one? You got it!"

"I get it. Now we fight! One-on-one! To the death! Nobody leaves this field until one of us is a corpse!" Butch shouted.

"To the death!" shouted Beta, and the two warriors prepared for their clash.


	31. Outnumbered and Overwhelmed

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 31 **

**Outnumbered and Overwhelmed**

The City of Townsville, but the main action was not in the city, but in a plain 40 miles west of Townsville, where there seemed to be a standoff between Butch and Beta on a cold winter night. It was supposed to be a one on one fight between the two warriors.

It was seven in the evening.

"Yes, to your death, Beta!" Brick's voice suddenly shouted.

Beta then looked around and found himself facing not only Butch, as he had agreed six days ago, on December 12, but his two brothers and the Powerpuff Girls, all wearing thick winter clothes.

"Hey, you promised that this would be a one-on-one, you twit! I thought this was supposed to settle who really is stronger! I lived up to my bargain. Nobody else knows I'm here to fight you _alone. _Now, I demand all except Butch to leave, 'cause this is a private matter between us two!"

"Beta, you are a fool to trust me and go out here alone," Butch replied. "No, this is not only a matter between me and you, it is a matter between you five and the Ruff-Puff Alliance."

"Then you're a liar! You told me you would come here alone and fight one on one! I came here alone, and you didn't! And I thought heroes have word of honor! Guess you're no heroes after all!" Beta replied.

"Tsk, tsk. The fact is, you were outsmarted and you can't admit it!" Brick answered. "The only reason you went here alone is not because of honor and such nonsense. You're alone because you know that in a one-on-one fight, you'd win. And because you think that Butch is a goody-two-shoes, he would actually go here alone. Honor before reason, as they say. You attempted to draw Butch into a fight that he cannot win."

"Well, I've got news for you, Mister. Me and my brothers were villains, and we know how villains think. We know how to use that knowledge to our advantage," Brick continued. "You do not fight at the place, time and manner chosen by the enemy, but you must draw the enemy to fight on your own terms, with us much advantage to your own side as possible before the actual fight. If that would mean lying, cheating, and stealing, then so be it. It's called strategy."

"I'll tell you Brick's plan," Blossom continued. "We were thinking on ways to defeat you, since we knew we cannot win in an all-out fight. Now, we observed that you were excellent team players. You know how to put your advantages and strengths to bear in a team fight. We decided that to win, we must isolate each one of you so that your penchant for teamwork would be negated. But we also knew that even isolated, you are formidable foes, so the best solution is for all of us to simultaneously fight only one of you so your advantages would be reduced or even eliminated."

"Now, putting you in such a disadvantaged position was our next problem. Fortunately, we knew how villains think," Brick continued. "We had another advantage. You think that as heroes, we would actually play by the book, and it's unfathomable to you that we could be as dirty and as sneaky and as cunning as you villains. And it is helped by the fact that you think that Blossom, who has an undeserved reputation for fairness in fighting, was thought by you saps as the leader of the alliance, when in actuality I am the leader!"

"When Buttercup and Bubbles attempted a rescue of the people in Citiesville, I saw an opportunity in their mistake. I told Butch to challenge one of you to a one-on-one fight, and to make sure that the one that he challenged went here alone. And sure enough, he made that challenge to you, and you fell for our trap. You actually thought that he would really go here alone. Instead, it is you who's alone. So he didn't really lie, he just carried out my orders to lie to you."

"Hey, that's brilliant, Brick!" Buttercup complimented as she listened to Brick explaining his plan. "I guess you really are smart. Though why didn't you tell us? You just told us to follow you and we find out only now what we are actually doing?"

"Yeah Brick! That was awesome!" Bubbles added. "But why didn't you tell us?"

"But I did tell Blossom my plans while you were recovering from the punishment! As for you, I decided that it would be a surprise that we actually trapped one of them, and reveal to you that it's all my doing!" Brick said.

Beta gritted his teeth as he listened to Brick's narrative on how he outsmarted him. And so he got himself into a fight with all six members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance-alone. He, however, just smirked.

"So we're wrong about you being goody-two-shoes. But it won't make any difference," Beta said, regaining his confidence. "I am one of the most powerful men in this planet, and I can beat all of you at once even if my eyes are blindfolded and had one hand tied behind me! There's no way you can ever beat me! Hahahahahahahahaha! But I will admit, you are an expert on strategy. You'd make a fine general."

"I know," Brick dryly replied. "Blossom, Butch, Buttercup, Bubbles, Boomer, attack him using plan ABX. That would negate his superior strength. And whatever you do, avoid his lasers. It's his most powerful attack."

The six then descended on Beta and attacked him simultaneously. Their speed caught Beta by surprise, as he didn't expect them to be that fast. Soon, he was fighting in close quarters with four of his enemies.

It was a fast-paced fight. Beta used his left arm and left leg to engage in hand to hand combat with Butch, while he used his right hand and right leg to fend off Bubbles, while he had to use both, at the same time, to simultaneously fight Buttercup, who was in the middle, in front of him. To add to it, Boomer was behind him, smashing it with his fists and feet into his undefended back with Beta unable to do anything about it because his arms and legs were engaged at the front. Blossom and Brick, finding no space to engage, backed out and watched the fight.

To compensate was the fact that Beta was about three times as strong and as fast as each individual ruff and puff at their current level. In a brilliant move, he pushed Bubbles off with a fast and powerful punch to the cheek, but he could not take advantage of it since Blossom immediately took Bubbles' place in the fight. Bubbles, bruised, floated besides Brick and watched the fight.

Pretty soon, Beta was able to flip and kick Buttercup off, but was unable to follow through because Brick went to the middle and took Buttercups place, totally negating his efforts. Bubbles and Buttercup rested as they watched for opportunities to get back to the fight. Beta again had to contend with four Ruffs and Puffs.

It wasn't an easy fight for Beta. The kids training to level 29 made Beta only three times stronger than the six, and because he was fighting six, he was at a disadvantage. And he was weakest at hand-to-hand fighting, strongest at firing lasers. His lasers were the most devastating ones. But he needed space between him and his intended victims to use it, and the kids crowded him and did not provide him with the opportunity to use his most powerful weapons. Then there was the fact that unlike before, each punch and kick of each kid, though not fatal, did hurt a bit as a result of their increased strength. And his back was taking a pounding, where he could not block anything at all. The back of his head took numerous unanswered blows too and it was his endurance and power that allowed him to avoid a broken back this early in the fight and to avoid getting knocked out. Although he can hurt them far more than they can hurt him, he was unable to concentrate on one target. His superior speed and strength and speed, however, enabled him to fend off the attackers, and a stalemate ensued.

Occasionally, he was able to hurt one of them bad enough that they were thrown out, but one of those floating above would just take his or her place, while the one hurt would rest and watch the fight and rejoin the action when another one was kicked out. If one of them grew too tired to fight effectively, he or she simply backed out and rested while another took his or her place. By the time it's his or her turn to replace another in the fight, he or she had rested sufficiently to regain his or her strength.

Ultimately, the fight dragged on. Due to the pace of the fight, Beta gradually grew tired. The pressure of the kids meant that he could not even rest as he kept on fighting. So bit by bit, Beta, unable to rest or replenish his strength, gradually weakened. The kids were always well rested and full of energy, even though they too were struck by powerful blows. Beta was like a bear fighting of a pack of wolves. The bear was much stronger than each individual wolf, but the bear by itself could not fight all the wolves at once.

After thirty minutes, Beta was dead tired. He was covered with sweat, exhausted, and breathing heavily. He was in pain. Yes, the punches of the kids only hurt like a bee sting, but because they were so many of them, and they didn't let up, it accumulated. Not to mention his exposed back. He was hurting badly. Yet the kids gave him no quarter. The kids were bruised, wounded at several sides, but as they were able to rest, not tired at all

By this time, half of Beta's power was gone as a result of the pressure, and he was slowing down, despite his efforts. 'Damn it, if I don't do something, I'll lose all my energy,' he thought. He was getting weaker and weaker as each minute passed, his blows were getting more pathetic by the second, while the kids' blows on him felt stronger and stronger.

At the forty-five minute mark, he was ready to give-out. He vision was starting to blacken as the pain in his body and head became numb, and he was unable to lift his arms any longer. The kids were as badly bruised, but were not tired at all.

"You kids! You should have fought me one at a time! That's only fair!" Beta shouted, before Buttercup gave him one final kick in the head, finally knocking him out cold. He then collapsed headfirst to the snow covered ground.

The kids were breathing hard. They weren't tired and exhausted, but they were still bloodied and weakened. Still, they won for the very first time over one of Ckracknow's teens.

"Yahoo!" Buttercup shouted. "We won! We won! Yes!"

"Not yet," Brick said. "Butch, finish him off."

Butch nodded as he floated above the unconscious Beta. He gathered energy in his hands, and released it at Beta. Beta's unconscious body was tougher than expected. So Butch simply turned him around so he was lying on his back. He then forced open Beta's mouth, and released a powerful laser beam into it. It tore a hole through Beta's head, killing him instantly. Soon, the snow around his body was covered red with blood.

"Now we truly won," the ruff leader said.

Bubbles and Blossom winced at the display of violence, but did not protest. They remembered the carnage at Citiesville, and they were in a vengeful mood.

"Well, one down, four to go!" Boomer shouted.

"Well, let's go home!" Buttercup proposed.

"Not yet! We have one more quarry to catch," Blossom said.

"But we're weak," Bubbles protested.

"Yes we are, but if we do my plan, we could easily defeat him or her," Blossom said.

"What, we have another one?" Buttercup asked.

"Yup! We have one more," Brick seconded.

"So what's your plan?" asked Bubbles.

"Come on here, all of you, and I'll tell you," Blossom said. They gathered around her as she told them her plan.

* * *

At about eight that night, the sky became completely overcast, and the cold wind became even stronger. Snow began to fall. Near complete darkness surrounded the plain, as the moon was unable to brighten the land below the clouds. Arriving at this scene was a teen-age girl, about 5'6", with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing thick red pants and a thick red coat with a hood. Cychaela was about 16, slightly weaker than Beta in body strength, average in laser attacks, but extremely fast. In terms of the ruffs and puffs, she was more powerful in every aspect, just like Beta was, but was so much faster that she could take six puffs and ruffs better than Beta could. Cychaela, in theory, would be much more trouble than Beta for the six using the same tactics.

'Master Ckracknow will be so proud of me when he finds out I single-handedly killed Butch,' Cychaela thought as she navigated the plain. By now, the snowfall is getting heavier and heavier. 'Wouldn't Alpha, Beta, Delta and Epsilon be surprised when they found out that I sneaked out without them knowing and killed one of the enemy? Ha, I can't wait see the look on their faces when I show them Butch's dead body! Now where is Butch? Damn weather!'

She navigated the plain until she saw something that absolutely shocked her. "Beta!" she shouted, as she saw the dead body of her friend on the snow, with four figures hovering over it. They were Blossom, Brick, Butch and Buttercup. She was shocked. "Beta, you're dead!" Tears nearly streamed from her eyes.

"Ah, so our prey has arrived," Blossom dryly said.

"And so she did! And it's Cychaela!" Buttercup said.

"Ah yes! She fell for my trap!" Brick shouted.

"My trap, Brick, remember? It was my plan!" Blossom corrected him.

"So? I was the one who approved of it. If I've said no, your plan will get as far as a snail could travel in five seconds," Brick replied. "I'm you're leader, remember?"

"It's still my plan!" Blossom asserted.

"Fine. I don't want to argue with you before a fight. Let's just say it's our plan, okay?" Brick said.

"What have you done with him?" Cychaela shouted at the four. "You…you…killed him!" She was floating a few yards away from them.

"No, he committed suicide. Of course we killed him!" Brick snapped at Cychaela.

"How can…how can…how can this happen! Beta is invincible! Nobody, especially you puny kids, can even scratch him! We're invincible!" Cychaela replied, but apparently without conviction. Beta's dead body was evidence enough that they were not.

"Well, Beta is invincible! He's so invincible that's it's particularly humiliating that puny children like us could kill an invincible man like Beta!" Buttercup sneered. "And now, it's your turn."

"Yup, like Beta here, you fell for our trap!" Brick shouted. "And for your mistake, you'll pay with your life!"

"I fell for no trap!" Cychaela asserted. "I came here on my own accord, not by your design! I came here without Beta, Delta, Epsilon, Alpha and Master Ckracknow knowing. I came here because of information from one of our spies that Butch would be here alone at this time. So even if you might think that you have me because I'm all alone and you outnumbered me, it was an accident, it was luck, not 'cause of some master plan of yours."

"Ah the sound of ignorance," Brick mocked. "Well, since you're so stubborn, let me pierce your bubble by first narrating how Beta here met his end."

And Brick told Cychaela how he trapped Beta, but did not bother telling her his tactics once they've got him where they wanted him.

"Yeah, well, you may have fooled Beta, but you didn't fool me!"

"Yeah, well, let me tell you something, missy," Blossom shouted back. "The spy that told you that Butch meditates here all alone is Harry Shippe right? Your spy, our secretary, right? Well, I've got some news for you, Cychaela, I actually told Mr. Shippe to tell you that information so you'd actually go here alone! That's right, it was bait, and you bit it! You fell for it like a fly in a spider-web. And Mr. Shippe betrayed Ckracknow by giving us vital information and giving your boss lies!"

"What's more, Cychaela, what's more, is that all of what you have done, you have done to ensure the success of our trap. Oh I could list several options you could've made, let's say, you came here earlier while Beta was still alive, if you told Ckracknow what Mr. Shippe told you, then had any of that happened, we would skedaddle like rabbits back to Townsville as we couldn't fight you six to two. We can only fight you six to one and win! And let me tell you something else. My plan's actually a gamble! And I rolled the dice, and you did too, and guess who came out on top?" Blossom taunted. "You wanted glory only for yourself, and so you will pay the price."

"You may as well think that you've trapped me, but you're wrong! I am the fastest girl on this planet. Beta is weak, I am strong!"

Suddenly, she heard a click and felt metal shackles around her left ankle. She looked down on her, and she saw that Bubbles and Boomer shackled her left ankle. A huge chain connected the shackle to the ground, whose end was buried in snow. Boomer and Bubbles had sneaked up on her from behind a rock while Blossom and Brick were busy taunting Cychaela. Cychaela was so caught up with what Blossom was saying that she didn't notice the silent and stealthy Boomer and Bubbles come up from behind her with the chain until it was too late. Afterwards, both Boomer and Bubbles scooted away towards Brick and Blossom and Butch and Buttercup.

"Now you're literally trapped!" Butch taunted and laughed.

Cychaela then tried destroying or breaking the chain; to her surprise, it held. She tried pulling it from the ground, but it didn't budge.

"Don't waste your time, Cychaela," Brick said. "That metal on the chain and shackle is harder than Duranium. Yup, Dad made it from the metallic monster hide that we defeated a couple of months ago! The one whose secrets your master so desperately wants!"

Cychaela ignored him as she tried breaking it up. She tried physically breaking it, tried using laser attacks, tried pulling it from the ground, but it failed.

"Now that you're chained to the ground, that speed of yours will be next to useless," Blossom proclaimed. "Brick, shall I order the attack on her?"

"No, you're not the leader," Brick replied. "I shall order it! Boys, girls, attack her using the same plan!"

All six rushed her. However, to the surprise of the ruffs and puffs, she was able to fend them off all at the same time. She was so much faster than each of them—and the chain long enough for freedom of action within it's perimeter. She was still much stronger than each individually, and her super speed negated the numerical advantage of the ruffs and puffs.

Again the six simultaneously attacked, yet Cychaela was able to throw them off and give them a good beating at the same time. Cychaela herself was barely hurt.

Again six times the ruffs and puffs attacked her concurrently, but she was so fast that she was able to fight them as if one on one. In fact, she was so fast that her movements seemed a blur to the attackers.

* * *

It was nine thirty, by this time, in the dead of night.

After one hour, the situation was pretty much stalemated. Cychaela has been able to beat off pretty much all attacks, and was able to inflict powerful blows on all the members of the Alliance. She herself had no scratch, but she was sweating, tired of her efforts.

Her opponents were even more tired. The ruffs and puffs were weakened considerably by the punches and laser attacks of Cychaela, delivered so fast that it seemed as if she were six people, not one person. They were panting, and profusely sweating in spite of the weather.

Despite Cychaela's advantages, there was one thing going for the Ruff-Puff Alliance. Whatever she tried, she could not break off the chains from her ankles. She simply was not strong enough to do it. As a result, she was unable to finish off the kids because they would just move out of the range permitted by the chain. She was like a vicious dog with a leash. Go close enough and she will rip you apart, but otherwise she's harmless.

To make matters worst, the snowfall turned into a fierce blizzard, and temperature further dropped. The snowfall became heavy, and the snow in the ground piled up.

Because of the heavy beating that they received, plus the fact that they were hit by numerous laser fire, the ruffs and puffs thick clothes were torn, and cold was seeping in every minute. Time was running out.

"Damn it's cold," Brick said, as the six were resting just beyond Cychaela's reach. He was wearing a thick red coat, thick double trousers, a hat, and a very thick scarf was wrapped around his neck. "Boomer, how cold is it?"

Boomer then took his pocket digital thermometer from his jacket. "It's -2 ºF." He was wearing exactly the same thing that his brother Brick was wearing, except that the coat was blue.

"Negative two? Fahrenheit? Gosh that's cold!" Blossom commented as she shivered within her thick knee-length covered jacket that covered her dress. She was wearing extra leggings over her white stockings. She was wearing a bonnet and had a thick scarf wrapped around her neck.

"What's negative two Fahrenheit?" asked Bubbles who was also shivering in the cold. She wore the same thing Blossom wore except it was blue instead of pink.

"Well, you know when water freezes, it's thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit. It's negative two degrees now. It's that cold."

"This sucks. How are we gonna defeat her?" Buttercup asked. "She's too fast for us! What now, leader girl, what's your plan now? If we don't get out of here soon, we'll freeze to death! "

"That's it! Brick, guys, girls, come here. I have a plan!" Blossom proclaimed. The tired and cold kids, with nothing better to do, huddled as Blossom told them of her plan. After she told them, everybody looked at Brick, who had to approve any plan of action the alliance made. He nodded.

Blossom, Brick, Butch and Boomer, their energy running out but still able to make one last fast powerful move, assaulted Cychaela. It was now or never. They were wearing shades.

Cychaela was floating mid-air as she cautiously watched the six talk among themselves. She anticipated the next attack, and fended off the renewed attacks with ease. At that moment, Bubbles and Buttercup came from behind. Cychaela was expecting them, but what she didn't expect was when Bubbles suddenly used the sunball, and the dark landscape was illuminated with the white blinding light. Cychaela was prepared, however, and quickly took the shades in the pocket of her jacket.

However, Cychaela paid dearly for the split second distraction of getting her shades. For at that moment, Buttercup, Bubbles and Brick grabbed hold of her thick coat, while Boomer, Butch and Blossom grabbed her thick pants, and ripped it off her. They then incinerated it and retreated to a point where the teen-age girl couldn't reach them.

Cychaela, with her winter clothes gone, found herself wearing nothing more than a sleeveless tank top with a bare belly, and jean shorts that went barely halfway to her knees. The only winter clothing remaining was her shoes. And she was still wearing the shades, since the sunball was still in effect. And the winter got colder than it already was.

The kids' clothes were also wrecked, but at least they still wore it. Brick now decided to remedy the situation.

"Dad," he called in his watch.

"Yes son?" Dr. Edwards answered.

"Dad, could you prepare hot chocolate for us? And prepare coats and jackets for each of us. Ours was already wrecked, and it's freezing out here."

"Will do son!"

"Thanks Dad," Brick said. "Boomer, Bubbles, you go home now, drink hot chocolate to replenish lost heat and get new jackets and coats. And return here afterwards! Failure to do so would result in severe punishment! And give me your thermometer in the meantime!"

"Yes Brick," Boomer and Bubbles gladly said before giving him the thermometer and flying home at top speed.

"Why only them?" asked Buttercup.

"Because we're cold and shivering. Our coats and jackets are torn. I sent them home so they can replenish their heat and change their coats. When they come back, you and Butch will do the same, and when you come back here as well, Blossom and I would do the same. At every one hour interval, we will repeat this until Cychaela dies from the cold."

"But why not go home now? She's not going anywhere!" Blossom reasoned.

"No. We will watch her until she dies of cold. I want to make sure she's dead. What if she just weakens and collapses and not actually dies? If that happens, I want to finish her when she's too weak to resist!"

"Is that your final decision?" asked Blossom.

"Yes. And Blossom, that was a good plan, even for an ugly girl like you! To take away her winter apparel to freeze her to death! It's like stuffing her alive in a refrigerator."

"Hey, I'm not ugly you prick! I'm the most beautiful little girl in the world in case you haven't noticed!" Blossom shouted at Brick. "And thanks for the compliments."

Brick chuckled, and the rest of the kids followed too. Despite all, victory was in sight, and they were in a good mood. After a few more minutes of joking and kidding around, they turned to watch Cychaela.

It was a cold hell for Cychaela, and it became more so when the temperature further dropped to -6ºF and the snowfall increased and the cold wind got even colder and blew harder. Soon, she was shivering. Finally, she decided to use her enormous energy to heat herself.

However she knew that that using her energy for heat was wasteful, and if she didn't get anything warm, like a thick jacket, or coat, or drank a hot coffee or dip in warm water soon, her energy would ran out fast and she would freeze to death. So she then concentrated on trying to break free of the chain.

But like before, she failed.

'Damn it's freezing! I need to get out of here. Cychaela, you're so stupid. First, for being careless enough by letting those brats chain me, and for letting them rip my thick clothes off!'

* * *

Meanwhile…

Boomer and Bubbles arrived home and were greeted by Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium. Boomer drank ten cups of hot chocolate, while Bubbles drank only one. Their fathers then treated their wounds. They then discarded their torn coats and wore new fresh ones. After which, they flew back to where their siblings were. All in all, from the moment they flew back till the moment they returned, a total of twenty minutes elapsed. As soon as the blue team returned, Butch and Buttercup flew home and were treated the same. After twenty minutes, they came back with fresh clothes. Brick and Blossom, who during all this time had been shivering and feeling very very cold, then went home, drank hot drinks, changed clothes, stayed by the fireplace for a while swapping stories, teases and insults to each other, and went back to the group after one hour, after which Bubbles and Boomer went home for twenty minutes. And so, for almost the rest of the night, the kids spent twenty minutes at home getting warm while spending forty minutes watching Cychaela in the fierce blizzard.

Cychaela was still shivering, though her power and energy was keeping her warm. But she clearly knew that the blizzard and sub zero temperature was taxing her power to heat herself to the breaking point. She was still infinitely more powerful and faster than each individual ruff and puff, but she can't beat the weather. She turned around, and saw, standing just beyond the range allowed by her chain, were four of the six ruffs and puffs. They were talking among themselves when they were not staring at her, giggling, as if they mocked her in her plight. Her contempt for them turned into anger, and her anger into hatred. She looked upon her conquerors, no, those aren't her conquerors, rather her jailors. If indeed she died of the cold, she would admit that she was conquered and defeated only by the weather, not by those six who can't play fair.

Yes, she underestimated them, as did Ckracknow. No, not their power, strength and speed. Though it clearly improved enough to defeat Beta, it was still pathetic by her standards. She underestimated their sneakiness and their willingness to break the rules of fair play. As if Machiavelli himself taught the leaders of the Alliance the principles of the ends justifying the means. They had outfoxed Beta and herself, placed them in positions of severe disadvantage, and nullified their superiority. Their cunning, slyness and shrewdness would put the sneakiest villains to shame. They have proven themselves no fools in fighting, and clearly didn't trouble themselves with such things as chivalry and honor when fighting an enemy. And they had her trapped for her thinking that they, because they are fighting for the good, would not stoop to such low tactics. Oh how she would love to wipe of the smirks off their faces. But the only way to fight them with the chain was to use her laser from her hands. But that, she dared not do, for it will further exhaust her energy, and plunge her faster to death.

"Hey brats, are you cowards? If you want to prove how great you are, come on here and fight! Come on! Scared? You piece of shit! Come on here, you bastards? What, need permission from you Mama?" Cychaela shouted. She then shouted more insults to try to goad the Ruffs and Puffs to attack her.

They, though they felt insulted, knew better. To fight her would be suicide since she still outclassed them, even if they all attacked at the same time. They knew that if they just stayed where they were, Cychaela would eventually run out of energy to heat herself and she would freeze to death.

They simply ignored her insults and threats and talked among themselves.

And so the situation continued like this throughout the next few hours.

It was two in the morning, December 19. The blizzard worsened and the temperature, in the dead of night, dropped to -20ºF, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the area. The children, even with their thicker clothing, were shivering. To add to their misery, they were now very sleepy, and looking for a place to lie down. Only their will managed to force them to stand guard, even as they switch from hot chocolate to hot coffee at home. They told stories among each other to keep themselves awake.

But bad as their situation was, Cychaela's situation was worst. Her energy was now dangerously low, and her blond hair was now covered with ice. Her feet and fingers were now covered in frostbite, as was her nose. During this time, she was very weak, and was beginning to suffer from hypothermia.

She tried calling for help, calling to surrender, but because her mouth went numb and she could not even whisper. By this time, she lost all her pride, and only wanted to live. Tears began falling from her eyes, which immediately froze. 'Oh the irony,' she thought, 'to be defeated—not in glorious battle—as Master Ckracknow proclaimed, but in a situation no better than being stuffed in a freezer. What shame, what humiliation, when, after I die, Beta would ask me, how I died, whether or not it had been glorious, I would not be able to honestly answer it without a tinge of shame. While he could be content that he died honorably and gloriously, I, Cychaela, fastest of the team, died from bad weather. I wish that Alpha or Epsilon would come to my rescue, but because of my foolishness, they don't even know my plight. For all they know, I am at a department store in Citiesville sleeping among the clothes I had claimed. I should've told Master Ckracknow what Harry told me. Now I pay for my mistakes. How I wish they would just kill me now while I'm still alive, so I can die with honor, and without shame.'

* * *

Two hours later, at four in the morning…

Finally, the cold was too much for the teen girl. 'You win. Oh I wish I could talk to you, Brick, leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, so you can hear me surrender and salute you as a great leader. As for me, it seems that I am being punished for killing all those innocent people. But I have no regrets! I enjoyed killing all those civilians! And I did it all in my solemn duty to Master Ckracknow and my colleagues. Master, even though I died frozen in the plains of Townsville, know that I die doing my duty, and I only apologize for doing it poorly and failing. Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, you who are still alive, beware and be smart. I don't want you to fall to any more of Brick's traps. Avenge Beta and me and do your duty to the Master by crushing them to bits. Beta, I am looking forward to seeing you. Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, and above all, Master Ckracknow, good bye!'

At that thought, she breathed her last, and she fell, dead as a rock, towards the snow covered ground.

* * *

"I think she just died," Buttercup mentioned as she pointed to the fallen Cychaela.

"It's about time. I can't wait to get back home!" Blossom mentioned as she shivered.

"Butch, go see if she really is dead," Brick ordered.

Butch nodded and went to where Cychaela was. 'She was dead alright,' Butch observed. He then formed a laser ball in his hand, and threw it to the body, blowing it to bits. Satisfied that she now was truly dead, he returned to where his brothers were.

At that moment, Boomer and Bubbles returned to the field after their twenty minute stay in the house.

The kids were by now shivering, and they too were forced to use their Chemical X energy to heat themselves up. Unlike Cychaela, however, they wore thick coats, jackets, scarves, bonnets, hats and other apparel that helped them conserve heat.

"She's dead," Butch simply said.

"It's over," Brick said to Bubbles and Boomer. Then turning towards the rest, he said, "let's go home." And they flew as fast as they could towards the warmth of their home.

The kids at this time, even though they were tired, in misery, even while the cold blistering wind whipped their faces, were in a triumphal, even ecstatic mood. The intoxication of victory, of triumph over an adversary much stronger than they were, through ingenious strategy and tactics, was enough to overcome their miserable condition. For the first time ever, they were able to defeat one, nay two, members of the Five, in such a total manner. Now that Beta and Cychaela had been eliminated, only Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, and ultimately, Ckracknow, remained.

When the kids arrived, they were immediately ordered into the tub of very warm water by their fathers so they could warm up as fast as possible. After a relaxing bath, they were given hot milk to drink. They then changed into their pajamas and nightgowns and went to bed with thick blankets in rooms with nice heating.


	32. New Clothes, New Weapons and Old Tricks

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 32 **

**New Clothes, New Weapons and Old Tricks**

The City of Townsville, and it was gripped with one of the worst snowstorms in history and the coldest winter in memory.

Citiesville was particularly hard hit. Ever since Ckracknow took over, most residents of Citiesville were miserable. Most of it was because they didn't really have homes in the City—most of them just commuted from the suburbs—and because of their sole link to the mainland suburbs, the red bridge, was destroyed, and with the teens guarding the water between the island and the mainland, no successful attempts to escape were made.

All of the apartments and hotels in the city were packed to the full and more, while restaurants, office buildings, and any kind of building were converted into temporary dwellings.

The people of the city were miserable. Since the source of the electric power was a generator on the mainland connected to Citiesville by wires, and the wires were cut, there was no power at all on Citiesville except for a few buildings with generators on them. One such building was the skyscraper that Ckracknow made into his personal building. It actually was the media center of the city, with a giant TV screen where Ckracknow made announcements.

Water was cut off too, as Ckracknow's teens destroyed the main pipe bringing fresh water into the city. The people resorted to melting snow or to boil water taken from the surrounding lake to get potable water. Telephone lines were cut. However, the Citiesvillans were still able to connect to the outside world by wireless internet on laptops, cell phones, and radios on batteries. But soon, their batteries ran out without a place to recharge them.

The main problem was food. With the city cut off, in the worst winter weather, thousands starved to death. The city stocks quickly ran out. They had to resort to butchering the animals in the city zoo. Rats became a delicacy. Dogs and cats also became top of the list menu. Luckily, they were able to fish in the lake surrounding the city. But even that was too few. Fortunately, Ckracknow allowed the Red Cross and other charitable organizations to air drop food to the populace, partially relieving their situation, in exchange for giving him and his teens the most luxurious wines and the choices foods.

Chaos and disorder reigned in the city. Since the police force was decimated on the first day of the attack, there was nothing to stop armed hoodlums and criminals from looting every building and business establishment that wasn't destroyed on the first day of the attack. And the citizens themselves in a fit of panic looted all stores, from supermarkets to local vendors, taking all the food and stuff they could carry on their hands. Riots proliferated on the city as citizens formed vigilante groups to combat the looters, but who degenerated into looters themselves and fought other looters for goods and food.

The rule of law was dead, and only the strong rule. Anybody who had a gun pretty much can do anything he wants to somebody who doesn't have one.

And there was the fear. Yes, fear, fear of his fellow citizens, who might steal what they have. Nothing was safe. Fear from hoodlums, self-appointed vigilantes, rioters, criminals and such. There was fear from starvation, or from freezing to the death. But above all, there fear from the Ckracknow and the five teens, since they never knew who among them would be killed by the teens, and they knew that they would randomly pick out a citizen and kill him in front of the cameras, and they never knew if they would be next.

In short, Citiesville was wrecked.

And the blizzard plunged the city into temperatures not experienced by the city, or the state, in living memory. The temperature on the night December 18-19 dropped as low as -10ºF, not as low as on the plains 40 miles west on Townsville, where, on that night, the coldest temperature in the state for over a hundred years was recorded at negative 20ºF, but that was cold comfort to those people in the city who had to endure the bitter cold.

Most people had no heating in the buildings they occupied because the electricity and gas were cut off, and only buildings that had generators were able to generate enough heat to warm the occupants. The rest had to contend with fireplaces or super thick clothes or such. But because of the unexpected nature both of the attack and the blizzard, there was a shortage of thick clothes. Most were reduced to breaking off branches of the trees on the park and making makeshift bonfires, or getting all wood and paper and burning them inside buildings—fire outside was impossible because of the blizzard.

And the result was a disaster. About one million Citiesvillans in the center of the city died that night, most of whom just froze to death, as the buildings, without electricity, were not able to contain the heat inside. The streets were covered with six feet of snow, and many of the people who huddled in the streets were buried in the snow. Still, considering the dire situation, it was remarkable that about three million of the citizens survived that night.

There was one good news, however. The water between the city and the mainland froze solid. Many people began fleeing to the mainland by running across the thick ice. However, before many had crossed, Delta immediately put off any thoughts of crossing into the suburbs when he destroyed the ice and once again isolating the city.

When the sun rose, the temperature rose to 0ºF.

Townsville, to put it mildly, didn't suffer in comparison to Citiesville.

To be sure, about a thousand people froze during the night, but most of these were homeless drifters, people who slept in the streets, and beggars and such. They, as usual, didn't expect the cold when they slept in the streets with not so thick blankets. They froze as they slept, as the temperature drop was sudden as it was big. It dropped to -2ºF during the night, but at sunrise, rose to 5ºF.

Most of the people, about one million five hundred thousand of them, were in their comfortable homes, which was properly heated because the electricity was secure, and people had enough thick clothes in their homes.

On the morning of Dec. 19, the streets were covered with four feet of snow. However, it was quickly cleared by snow plows. It required constant work since the snowfall that morning was quite heavy. However, despite the fact that it was the coldest winter in living memory, and snow was still falling, people donned their jackets and scarves and went out—to shop for Christmas, which was only six days away—to skate in the frozen lake on Townsville park, to play in the snow, make snowmen, to clear snow on their driveways, to go to school, and to go to work, and only occasionally worry about Ckracknow attacking.

One exception was the Edwards and the Utonium family.

They were all exhausted, both from overwork, battles, and lack of sleep during the previous night. The Professor and the Doctor were kept awake by the need to provide ready hot drinks for the kids, and to prepare fresh clothes.

The kids, however, were even more exhausted. They were worn out by their continuous fight with Beta, shattered by their attacks on the chained Cychaela and her resulting counterattacks, and utterly worn out by their hours of waiting for Cychaela to freeze to death. It was lucky that the temperature got that cold, or they might have been forced to stay until sunrise to ensure that Cychaela was dead.

The doctor and the professor got up at nine and ten respectively. They went to work at the lab after drinking a cup of hot coffee and eating a heavy breakfast. Professor Utonium, since the days of Ckracknow's attack on Citiesville, had taken a leave of absence from Townsville University. He was, after all, the Dean of the University and was probably the next candidate for appointment as University President when the current president retires. Dr. Edwards, who was the head of his company, left Mr. Clark, his clerk, to run his company for him. Despite the crisis, the increase of Christmas shopping of the Townies compensated Dr. Edwards' lost of his Citiesville market, and he still pulled a huge profit.

The doctor joined the Professor in the lab, who had been working there for an hour, at about twelve noon. At about one in the afternoon, after working with the Professor, the Doctor called it a day.

"Well, that's it," the doctor commented. "We've done it!"

"Let's go and tell the kids about it! I'm sure they'll be absolutely thrilled when they find out."

"Nah. You go tell them. I'm going out," Dr. Edwards said.

"Where are you going?" asked the Professor.

"I'm going Christmas shopping for my boys. Since this goddamned Ckracktow crisis will force us to give our presents early, I decided to buy something so my boys would have something to open on their first Christmas."

"Christmas? Dammit, I forgot because of all our problems that it's only six days away! Wait for me, William, I'm going with you to find some presents for my girls," the Professor replied.

"Hurry then, I don't have all day," the Doctor said as he put on a thick frock coat, a hat, and a scarf, plus another coat over his suit on the door of the lab. "I'll wait for you at the front door."

The Professor hurriedly put on a thick coat and a hat and joined his friend.

* * *

It was about one in the afternoon, and Brick rose from his bed. He was still very sleepy, but all the hot drinks during the past night made him go to the bathroom. He then noticed he was hungry, so he went to the phone and ordered 60 boxes of pizza with everything on it.

He then went back to his room and changed from his pajamas to more regular clothes, then went down to watch TV while waiting for the pizza to arrive. Though he really wasn't watching TV. Despite his drowsiness and hunger, he was in a good mood. They had just won a great victory over Beta and Cychaela in spite of the fact that each of their opponents was far stronger and faster than each individual ruff and puff.

Brick smirked as he stared at the TV. It was because of superior strategy, tactics, and psychological warfare. Yes, it was because of his leadership, his smarts, his tactics and his training that defeated Beta and Cychaela. And he realized that they were going to win. At this rate they were going to win! Whereas before, it was only hope that sustained them in this grim struggle. Now the tide was finally turning. 'We're going to win, and all because of me,' he thought. 'And if I don't bungle, and defeat the remaining three using my brilliant tactics, then there would be no doubt of the superiority of my leadership over Blossom. Yes, Dad would be so proud, and Blossom would be ever so humbled, that I am the greatest leader, and her sisters would have no choice but to acknowledge it.'

At that moment, Blossom woke up and went to the kitchen to get some food.

"If you're looking for food, there's nothing in the kitchen. Better wait for the pizza I ordered to arrive."

The still groggy Blossom, still in her pink nightgown, ignored Brick and went to the kitchen. Finding no food, she groaned.

"See, told you," Brick teased.

"Oh shut up!" Blossom snapped. "I'm not in a good mood today."

"Why not? We have just won a great victory! Against overwhelming odds I might add! We just accomplished a grand strategic and tactical masterstroke! We have fooled a superior enemy, maneuvered them into a field of battle we have chosen, and outfought them, totally negating their advantages and maximizing ours! We have, for the first time ever, beaten then to a pulp in a fight! Now they are only three, and who among us have any doubt that we'd beat them before Christmas? Our battle yesterday would go down in history books as our most brilliant victory yet! So when you're old, wrinkley, and even uglier than you are now, you can tell your grandkids how you've beaten what was considered the unbeatable! "

"I guess you're right. I'm actually happy! I never thought we would have beaten them, but we did. Now all we need to do beat the other three!" Blossom replied.

"Hey, I know why you feel down! Because last night proved once and for all that I am a better leader than you ever are!" Brick proclaimed.

At this words, Blossom lost all her drowsiness and rose to the challenge. "No it didn't! Remember, I was largely responsible for Cychaela's defeat!"

"And how about Beta?"

"Well, you were the one responsible for Beta's defeat, but I was the one who defeated Cychaela!"

"Well, it was my concept in the first place! And you just went along for the ride! Remember, if it weren't for my plan to lure Beta in alone, you would never have made your plan to lure Cychaela too! And you just imitated my plan! And besides, even if your plan was brilliant, which by the way, it was, I approved of it, so if it wasn't for me, you'd never prove how brilliant a leader you are! So there, case close!" Then, in a totally mature manner, he stuck out his tongue at Blossom.

Blossom stuck her tongue out at her rival too before replying. "So? It's still my plan! Yes, you can share in it's glory, because you are the current leader after all, but it's still my brilliant mind that thought of it! If it hadn't been for me, then only Beta would have been defeated, not Cychaela! So there! You're still not a better leader than me!"

Brick yielded the point. "True, but if it wasn't for my plan to kill Beta, then you'd have no opportunity to execute your plan!"

At this point, Boomer woke up, and seeing Brick and Blossom, decided to ignore the two arguing leaders and watched TV. However, the two proved more entertaining than what was on TV, so he switched it off, rotated the sofa so it was facing the two, and enjoyed the show. "Go Brick," he shouted in support of his brother. And started hooting and waving! Brick and Blossom just ignored him.

"Ha! Even if you didn't tell Butch to lure Beta to that deserted plain, I'd still propose that plan to you!"

"And I wouldn't accept it. It was too much of a gamble!"

"But you did accept it!"

"Yeah, you're right," Brick admitted. "I did, and I would too! It's just too brilliant and the rewards too great! But still I'm a better leader than you!"

"In a pig's eye! Listen Brick, you're a far better leader than I thought you were, but that doesn't mean you're better than me! I am superior to you in every way imaginable!"

"That's bullsht! I am better than you! Want proof? Well, I was the one who is responsible for crushing the great riot!"

"You have a potty mouth, Brick! Anyway, it wasn't you who is responsible for it, it was Chief Grulp and the people of Townsville!"

Bubbles soon woke up. She saw Brick and Blossom arguing and saw Boomer on the couch watching them.

"What are they doing Boomie?" asked the blue puff.

"Oh, they're making enough hot-air for a balloon to go up to the stratosphere!" Boomer replied.

"Oh you're funny, Boomie," Bubbles laughed as she sat close besides Boomer. Too close.

Boomer flinched, blushed, and scooted away from her. 'I don't like the way she looks at me. She's too nice!' "Bubbles, don't get too close! You have cooties!"

Bubbles pouted angrily at Boomer.

"Nevermind," Boomer, intensely sweating, replied, "Anyway, I don't know why they're arguing—you know, Blossom and Brick! Everybody knows Brick is far better than Blossom."

"Nah! Neither is better than the other," Bubbles replied. "I think that they're both wonderful leaders, and they should be cooperating instead of fighting!"

"Give it a break! It's a good show! Go Brick, crush Blossom, yeah!"

"Well, if that's the case, then go Blossom!" Bubbles shouted.

"Wrong! I ordered Grulp to use his five thousand police to quell the riot! If I didn't drag him kicking and screaming into action, he and the entire police force would have sat on their big fat behinds and done nothing and we again would have to save the day! And as for the people, need I remind you that I was the one who gave the speech to the people that inspired them to go and beat the living hell out of the rioters?"

"Well yeah, you're right, but need I remind you that I was the one who held the Townies for us and prevented them from defecting over!" Blossom countered.

"Well I declared Martial Law on this city, suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus, banned further entry of refugees on this city! Ha, did you do those things? You never did, so I must be better!"

"Well, that because I never was given the power you had! If the city gave me the power that they gave to you, I would've done it too, and could've done it better than you, and it should've been me with the power!"

"Coulda, shoulda, woulda, the excuses of those who had no more arguments to offer!" Brick teased. "Maybe you're right. If they did, maybe you could, and would have done better than me, and maybe they should've given you that power, but the fact is, they didn't, and I had that power, so your arguments are worthless! Where's the logic? Not only have I proven that I am a better leader than you'll ever be, but I also proved that I am a better debater than you! You spin facts around you to support you faulty arguments in a web that is increasingly difficult to get out of! And to drive one final nail in the coffin of your argument, if you really are a better leader, then why'd did Ms. Bellum and the Mayor choose to give me the power while they didn't give it to you while you were the leader? Or even before we were resurrected? Logic, Blossom, logic, use it, and you so clearly would see why I am superior to you in every way!"

Blossom nearly exploded at Brick's arrogance and condescension, but decided not to lose it. 'Blossom, don't lose your temper. If you do, you'll fall for his trap and give him more ammunition to pound me.' "Okay, I concede that point, but ask yourself this? Maybe they gave it to you because they think that you need to prove yourself as leader, because they don't need to give me such a power because they know that I could do save the day without it! But let's shift the discussion! I'll concede that you have done very well in this crisis. Every decision you made since you became leader is the right one, and you deserve all the credit you received. However, my experience and performance before it outweighs your brilliance in this crisis! So in that, I'm still a better leader than you!"

"I'm waiting for your explanation on why that is so," Brick replied.

"Let's start with the first attack on Ckracknow, on how my plans defeated all those super strong monsters, on how I pulled us through it, even though our Dads were kidnapped and we thought they're dead. And yes, I remembered, you resigned as leader of the Rowdyruffs, didn't you? And made Butch and Boomer leaders, which nearly wrecked the alliance! Such a great leader indeed!"

"I think Brick's losing it," Bubbles whispered to Boomer.

"Brick don't snap!" Boomer said.

Brick was infuriated at Blossom, but kept his temper in check. She had hit a nerve.

Blossom continued. "In fairness though, you were able to snap out of it, and aside from that, you have an exemplary record as a second-in-command during that entire period. Still, that incident would alone make any claim of yours to be a better leader than me ridiculous."

Brick smiled, his temper now held in check. "Ah, so you now mention the first fight with Ckracknow, eh? Well, the fact that you let Dad and the Professor be kidnapped when you should have made more effort to protect them. That would make your argument superfluous," Brick said.

"Will you guys cut it out!" Bubbles suddenly shouted, flying between the two. "You two are like cats and dogs? You two are worst than Blossom and Buttercup!"

"Calm down Bubbles," Blossom said.

"Calm down? You two are each other's throat, and are ready to fight! You're the ones who need to calm down."

"No we're not!" Brick said. "Perhaps our debate on who is the better leader heated up, but we both aren't going to physically fight each other. No, we both know that resorting to that is a surrender of the argument to the other!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't fight each other over an argument," Blossom reassured her sister.

"But why are you insulting each other?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, she started it," Brick said, pointing at Blossom.

"No, you started it," Blossom retorted.

"No I didn't, you did, you ugly girl!" Brick shot back.

"I'm not an ugly girl, you stuck-up jerk!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Hey, I think the argument has dumbed down," Boomer said, "from who is the better leader to whether Blossom is ugly or not."

Bubbles could only nod.

"I demand you take back your words, William Bricker Edwards!"

"Make me, Girl," Brick smugly challenged. "And no, punching me or kicking me doesn't count!"

"Oh I will, Brick," Blossom asserted, and she suddenly tackled Brick to the ground. She then began tickling her rival, and Brick began laughing.

"Let go me, Girl! Get your hands off me you ugly girl!" Brick shouted as he tried to shove Blossom off. But Blossom was persistent.

"Not until you take back your words, you know, the part where you said I was ugly, you blind boy!"

"And lie? Never!" Brick shouted. "And I wish I was blind every time I have to see your ugly face!" he teased, then laughed. "Then I might not have been scarred for life the first time I saw your face!" He then laughed even more, more from his jokes than from Blossom's tickling. "And stop tickling me!"

This only infuriated the vain Blossom. Boomer and Bubbles were laughing, watching the two proud children fought like cats and dogs on the most trivial matters.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Boomer went to the door to see who it was. It was the pizza delivery guy, and he delivered the sixty boxes of pizza that Brick ordered on the living room.

"Hey, Brick, the pizza is here!" Boomer shouted with watering mouths.

Brick quickly shoved Blossom off him and went to the boxes of pizza, his mouth watering.

"Come back here, Brick, you still have to take back those words!"

"Later! Pizza is more important than redheaded ugly girls for me anyway," Brick remarked, eyeing the boxes of pizza, drooling at the sight of all the food.

"Do I smell pizza," Butch said as he went downstairs, still in his pajamas.

"Yup! Boomer and I will divide it twenty each while you change out of your pajamas into your regular clothes," Brick said.

"Nah. I'll eat in this," Butch replied.

"I said, and I'll make it clear, go to your room and change!" Brick said in a stern voice, making it clear that it is an order. Butch complained, but nonetheless went back to his room and changed.

"Hey, what about us? We need to eat too?" Bubbles complained.

"Okay. We each only have nineteen, boxes, while you girls would have a box each! And if you want to eat, then go upstairs and change to your dresses!"

"You can't order us to do that!" Blossom said. "That order does not have anything to do with the saving the day, so there!"

"Well, not only am I the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, Blossom, but in the absence of Dad, I am the master of this house, so what I say goes! Anybody under this roof, when Dad is not around, except the Professor, is under me! And if you don't want to change, then eat something not of this house and eat outside in the snow!" Brick declared.

"Why Brick, you have no mmpphh…"

Bubbles covered Blossom's mouth and began dragging her to their room.

"Bubbles, I'm still not…" Blossom said as soon as she removed Bubbles had from her mouth.

"Blossom, he's right you know, this is his house. And I'm hungry and I don't want to starve," Bubbles whispered. "And I don't want you to fight over it."

"Well next time there is a crises, I'm going to insist that the boys stay in our house so I can be the boss over him for a change," Blossom said. "I'm sick and tired of taking orders from him!"

"If so, why do you still take orders from him?"

"Because, if I don't, then he'll have no reason to follow my orders when I become leader again!" Blossom reasoned.

"Well, you two are funny!" Bubbles said as they entered their room.

Butch, meanwhile, in his green everyday clothes, went to the kitchen, where Boomer and Brick have divided the pizza into three huge piles, nineteen boxes of pizza each, with three boxes a smaller fourth pile.

When Butch arrived, the three boys began digging in the food in a fast manner. When the girls (with a newly woken Buttercup), fully dressed, went down to join the boys, the boys already have eaten half their piles. The girls then got their boxes, and ate.

* * *

It was about three in the afternoon, and they've just finished cleaning up the kitchen…

"Well, now that we've eaten, let's get back to training," Butch suggested. "I can't wait to get stronger so we can finish off the rest of 'em!"

"Nah, let's take the day off. I mean, we deserve it after defeating Beta and Cychaela," Boomer countered. "We've been training too hard! And we also need to celebrate our victory! After all, it's our very first since Ckracknow attacked the second time!"

"Well, I don't think we should waste…"

"Guys, guys, before you get into another argument, let's ask Brick what he thinks," Bubbles interrupted.

"Well Brick?" Butch asked.

"Boomer's right. Let's take this day off, what's left of it anyway," Brick said. "But tomorrow on dawn, training will start again, and it'll be harder than usual, understand?"

The rest of them just nodded their heads.

The kids then went and took their jackets and clothes, and the kids played in the snow and skated on Dr. Edwards's frozen lake the rest of the afternoon, with the boys and girls playing separately from each other.

* * *

The next day, about ten in the morning, December 20…

The kids were again training. They were already on level 30, and were hard pressed on beating that level, when suddenly, in the midst of their training, the simulation suddenly disappeared and they accidentally punched each other.

"What the…" Buttercup said. She looked at the control panel, where the simulations and the levels were controlled, and saw the Professor and the doctor.

The kids then went to the control panel.

Brick was teed-off. "Dad, what are you doing? We were training and you…"

"Brick, shut up," Dr. Edwards snapped at his son, "and let us finish."

"Yes Dad," he merely replied.

"You see, boys and girls, the William and I decided to give your Christmas presents early!"

"What? You interrupted our training just to give just to give our presents five days early?" Buttercup started.

"Yeah! Shouldn't we wait until Christmas itself till we open our gifts?" Bubbles asked. "I mean, won't Santa be mad?"

"Well, we originally planned to give it to you not today, but on Christmas, but since the crisis, it's giving was dictated not by the holiday, but on how fast it can be given to you," Dr. Edwards said. "Okay, now, here's the first part of it."

Dr. Edwards and the Professor pointed to a six bundles of neatly folded clothing, one red, one pink, two green, and two blue. Taking a closer look, it was identical to their clothes and dresses.

"Oh please, another set of matching clothes!" Butch said. "I mean Dad, you interrupted our training to give our presents early and our presents turn out to be something we already have by the score?"

"I'm not that shallow," Dr. Edwards said, laughing. "Boys, change to those clothes, now! As fast as you can!"

"But Dad…" Boomer said.

"NOW!'" he shouted.

"Yes Dad," his three sons said, taking the clothes, going to another room, and in ten seconds changed, and went back out.

They just wore identical clothes, thought it was newer and crispier. The Professor and the doctor seemed pleased.

"Butch, Boomer, where are the caps?" the doctor asked.

"But Dad," Boomer complained. "Only Brick among us wears a cap!"

"Boomer, Butch, just do what I say. I promise you won't regret it!"

Reluctantly, Boomer and Butch wore matching blue and green caps.

All this time, the girls were either giggling, or outright laughing at the boys.

"How about us?" asked Bubbles.

"Don't worry, you'll have your turn," the Professor said.

"Okay," the Professor continued. "You six go to the training room, you hear?"

The six nodded and did as told.

Dr. Edwards then grabbed the microphone. "Boys, the girls will fight and assault you. You will just stand there and take whatever blows they give. Girls, you are permitted to kick, punch or anything, but you cannot use laser attacks, or special attacks like ice breathe, or sonic scream, or punch them and kick them in the head. Boys, you are permitted to fully retaliate if they used the said attacks. If not, then you are to receive the attacks. Boys, I know this sounds crazy, but I've never let you down before, and I never put you in a position of severe disadvantage before, nor do I intend to do so ever, so trust me. Kids, this will last five minutes. You may begin…now!"

With that, the Professor set up a five minute timer.

The girls then made a furious assault on the boys, punching, elbowing and kicking them as hard and as fast as they could. The boys immediately staggered back at the initial assault, and soon, they were up against the wall of the training room, being attacked by their counterparts. At the end of the five minutes, the girls were panting and sweating, still ready to attack.

The boys stood up, and didn't seem hurt.

"Boys, did you feel anything? Are you in pain?" asked the doctor.

"No Dad, I didn't feel a thing," Butch said. "In fact, I was pushed and shoved, but nothing in my body hurt. It was like I was being punched using pillows."

"What? That was my strongest punch, and you didn't feel anything! Baloney! You are bluffing," Buttercup said.

"No really, I also didn't feel a thing. At least those things that you feel when somebody punches you or kicks you," Brick added.

"Yeah, I wasn't hurt at all. It seems that we were wearing some kind of armor!" Boomer remarked.

"That can't be right, we're both on level 30, how can you be stronger than us?" Blossom said.

"Well, that proves that we boys are better than you girls!" Butch shouted. "Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"You're wrong, Butch," the Professor said by the mike. "The reason why those attacks of the girls were useless is because of your new clothes. Come up here to the control panel and we'll explain further."

The kids then went to where the doctor and professor were.

"You see, kids," the Doctor began, "I've been working on a kind of armor or protection for you kids ever since you boys were born, to give them an advantage over stronger opponents. Now, my chance came when I got hold of that monster hide. As you very well know, I was able make rope from fibers of the monster that can hold you, which I know very well you are fond on using on each other. But rope and clothes are different, and I was unable to find a solution to make materials out of that hide other than rope and a duranium cutter and cutter for that metal until I have found out the secrets of the metal. By the way, we already have a name for the metal. Its official name is _Utonium_, after the Professor, but to avoid confusion, we nicknamed it Hardetal, from Hard Metal. Not very original, huh?"

"The big break came when I was able to acquire the data from Ckraczow's research after our rescue from that island. Using the data, I was able to at last unlock the secrets of Hardetal last November. And using that information, I was able to make a fine thread that could be fashioned to feel like any kind of garment, whether linen or cotton or silk or rayon, yet just as hard and as tough as the original metal itself. Using scissors and needles made from Hardetal, with the help of Sandra Keane, the Professor and I were able make these clothes. At the surface, it's just like any other outfit, but in reality, it's made from the toughest materials in the world."

"Now, the clothes work like this. The armor only works against powerful and high-pressured attacks. For example, any punch or kick that could hurt you would be blunted, as any duranium object. If for example, I stabbed you with a duranium knife with you wearing that, the knife would snap as it cannot break the hardetal thread. However, if I pinch you, tickle you, or poke you with my finger, you would definitely feel it, as the force and pressure isn't high enough to trigger its armor."

"And girls," the Professor said, "your armored clothes are there," pointing to the remaining sets of folded dresses and white stockings. "Now go and put them on."

"Well, you could at least have made those dresses on a different style!" Buttercup complained.

"Well, I'm a scientist, not a fashion designer," the Professor said.

The girls then changed into their armored clothes, looking and feeling no different from their regular dresses, other than the baseball caps with matching colors. Blossom's cap, or course, had a rectangular hole to accommodate her enormous bow. And her bow of course was made of the same hardetal thread.

"Well, I hope you like your Christmas presents," the doctor said.

"It's awesome! Now we can defeat those teens more easily!" Brick said with enthusiasm.

"This is super cool!" Bubbles said.

"Now, I want you to train like before, but use those clothes, okay?" the Professor advised.

The kids then went to the training room, and they trained like before. Of course, the simulations of level 30 were just as tough, and they found out that they were still vulnerable, like before, to laser attacks, but on close hand to hand fighting, they were invincible, as long they were not hit on the head.

* * *

Two hours later, they ate lunch, discussed the new clothes, and went back to the control panel.

"Now, I'm going to show you the second part of your presents," the Professor said, and he presented six pieces of large black handkerchiefs, so large that they are even larger than the faces of each ruff and puff. "This handkerchiefs were made same materials as the clothes you're now wearing, and it has many uses."

"And I'll demonstrate one of it. Boys, come here," the doctor said.

The three boys nervously went forward. Dr. Edwards then folded three handkerchiefs into a triangle, and tied the ends around the boys head, covering their face from below the eyes, just like cowboys of the Old West.

"Girls, could you punch the boys on the face on the handkerchiefs as hard as you can," the doctor said.

The girls did so, and the boys staggered back. But like before, they didn't hurt the boys at all.

"You can use this as protection for the face when fighting. Now there is another function you can with this. Boys…"

"Um, could you please make use the girls as guinea pigs? It's only fair," Boomer complained.

"Okay," the Professor said. "Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, come forward now."

The girls did as told.

"Now," the doctor said, "turn around and put your hands behind your back."

The girls did so. The doctor then used the handkerchiefs to tie the girls' hands tightly behind their backs.

"Now, try to get free," the Professor ordered.

The girls tried, but to their surprise, it held. "This is just as tough as rope," Blossom said. "I can't get free."

"Yup, you can also use this to restrain superpowerful prisoners when you don't have the special rope or the duranium cuffs!"

"Yup! Now, on to our third sets of presents!" the doctor said. "Boomer, Butch, untie the girls and we'll wait for you on the living room."

Boomer and Butch nodded. Brick and the two men then left the control panel of the training lab.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Blossom demanded. "Untie us!"

"Okay, okay," Boomer said, but as he was about to do so, he was tapped by Butch. Boomer looked at his brother and he had a mischievous smirk on his face. At once, Boomer knew what Butch was up to, and both got mischievous expressions on their faces and snickered. Boomer only nodded. Butch then left the room.

The girls became worried, but it was all allayed when Boomer went to try to untie them. But he got stalled when it seemed not to be able to undo the knots.

"Damn knots are too complicated," Boomer complained.

Butch then got back carrying several lengths of rope, pieces of cloth, a roll of duct tape, three anti-gravity belts, three anti-laser goggles.

The girls saw it and knew what the boys were up to—it was a game they played before and knew too well. Before they could do anything, Butch tossed the materials to Boomer, and in less than ten seconds, he gagged the girls by stuffing the cloth in their mouths, duct taped their mouths to prevent them from spitting it out, tied their feet with the rope, and strapped then with the anti-gravity belts and the anti-laser goggles. The girls' hands were already tied behind them so they couldn't resist.

"Consider this a test of that handkerchief, to see if it can really hold you!" Butch laughed.

After that, they high-fived each other, congratulating each other on a job well done. Boomer then picked up Bubbles and Blossom, while Butch picked up Buttercup, and they carried them to the girls' room. They put Buttercup and Bubbles on the bed, tied them together back to back, while they tied Blossom to her favorite chair, the one they knew Blossom would die before seeing it break. The girls during this time were squirming and wiggling, and tried to shout, but it was of no use. After that, the boys went to their respective rooms, put on their respective thick coats and jackets, scarves and hats, and went to the living room downstairs, where the Professor and Dr. Edwards and Brick were waiting.

"Well, where are the girls?" asked the Professor.

"Well, Blossom remembered something that she and the girls absolutely must do today, and they are right now very busy doing it. They're now too tied-up by their work that they can't join us," Butch lied.

To his and Boomer's surprise, the Professor bought it. "Oh well, it's their lost. If it's really that important, then I can't disturb whatever it is their doing now can I?" the Professor remarked. "You boys will just have to tell them about it when it's all over."

"What? For all they know, this is something very very important, and they say they can't come?" Brick, who had no idea of what his brothers did, ranted. "Bull!"

"Now Brick, I'm sure that whatever it is they're doing is very important for them to miss this," Dr. Edwards said.

"Yes Dad," they said.

"Okay, let's go," the doctor said. Brick was suspicious of his brothers. He was concerned that the girls missing this would be a setback on their training, but he dismissed his misgivings.

* * *

They went to the car, and Dr. Edwards drove them to the headquarters of Edtech Corp. in the middle of Townsville. The building itself was partially damaged by the Great Townsville Riot, but it wasn't too damaged. They were greeted by his employees, chatted for a minute with Mr. Clark about the state of his business. They then went to the roof of the skyscraper where there was a helicopter parked. They went in and Dr. Edwards flew them towards a deserted land north of Townsville.

The land was composed of several deserted hills. The ground was covered with snow, and the sky was overcast, but it was not snowing.

"These, my sons, are hills made almost entirely of solid rock! This will be the ideal place to test the Professor's new invention—our third present!"

The professor took a bag from the chopper, and took three cases of sunglasses from it. He gave it to each of the boys.

"Now, those devices that I invented, I named the _William_ _Edwards_ _Super_ _Shades_, in honor of the doctor, but we just call it the super shades. I got this idea when Bubbles one time needed glasses, and when she used her laser attack, it was magnified many times over. Now, if you look at the rim of the shades, you'll see a tiny lever and five numbers on a scale. Use the levers to adjust the power of your laser eyes," the Professor explained. "If you put the lever to number two for example, it would give a laser beam twice as large and as powerful as your current laser eye beam."

"For example, boys, your current level is thirty, right? Well, level 1 on your shades is your normal power. Now, if you put the lever on two, the power of your laser-eye beams would be as if you already reached level 60. If you put the lever on three, it would be as if you reached level 90, at lever four level 120, and level 5 would be as if you reached level 150," the Dr. Edwards explained. "Now, go out and try each lever and see how strong your lasers really are when using this device.

The boys then wore the shades in their eyes.

"Boomer, Butch, put your shades on and adjust to lever two," Brick ordered, "and make one shot at those hills!"

They did, and a large part of the rock-solid rock was chipped away.

"Set it to lever three, and at full power, shoot the hill to the left!"

They did, and half of the hill was blown away.

"Set it to four, boys, and at full power, attack the hill on the right!"

They did, and the entire hill, plus two hills besides it, was utterly destroyed, with lots of debris falling all around.

"Set it to five, and we'll see how powerful our lasers with these shades really are! Shoot those hills over there, at our extreme right!"

They did, and six hills were totally incinerated, with nothing as much as a single dust surviving from those hills. And a large crater, about a hundred feet deep, was formed where once the rocky hills were.

"Whoa! That is powerful! I can't remember me ever seeing such power!" the Professor remarked.

Dr. Edwards could only nod as he gawked at the enormous destruction caused by the laser-eyes magnified by the shades five times. "I never knew you were so powerful!"

Even the boys were thoroughly shocked at the amount of power that was brought about by the shades. It was powerful beyond their wildest imagination.

"I'm starting to feel sorry for Ckracknow and his teens. They'll utterly be crisp, no, they're just be molecules in the air when we're done with them," Boomer said.

"I'm not so sure. Sure, our firepower is huge, but we still don't know how powerful our enemies really are. We just got lucky with Beta and Cychaela. For all we know, those two are the weakest among the five. And we don't know if they're also training, like us, and making themselves more powerful. Plus, Ckracknow is just a good a scientist as our Dad, and he might also have developed some new technology that might give them an edge. So we can't really be overconfident. It's best that we remain cautious," Brick advised.

"And to top it off," Prof Utonium said, "this shades can also be used when the sunball is activated!"

Dr Edwards and the Professor wore their own shades, and the doctor activated the sunball. There was a bright white light, but to all present, it was just like a bright noon day.

* * *

After that, they all went home. They were away for a total of two hours.

Dr. Edwards and the Professor immediately went to their labs to work, while Butch and Brick stayed to watch TV. Boomer went to the girls' room.

The girls were still tied up. Blossom was still in her chair, occasionally squirming but generally was not going anywhere. Buttercup was asleep, while Bubbles was still awake, staring at the window.

Boomer quickly untied Bubbles' hands and quickly joined his brothers before the girls could fully untie themselves and face their wrath alone.

Ten minutes later, the girls went down, angry and teed-off at Boomer and Butch.

"I'm giving you thirty seconds to explain what it is that's so important that you have to miss the meeting with Dad and the Professor? Do you know how much you've missed?" Brick demanded of the girls.

"Well, your brothers didn't untie us," Blossom snapped. "Instead, they tied-our feet, gagged us, and left us on our room! Now we can't join you if we're tied-up, now can we? Now, I demand you either punish them or let us have our revenge!"

"Or we'll tell the Professor!" Bubbles threatened.

"Is that true?" Brick asked, facing his brothers.

"Yup! Hey come on, it was just a prank!" Boomer whined.

"And it's not like you haven't been tied-up by us before," Butch added. "And you didn't complain too much before."

"Are you guys idiots?" Brick shouted to his brothers in front of the girls. "Yes, they are just pranks, and I know you're only playing, but do you have to lie to me and to Dad? And besides, what we did this afternoon on those hills is part of our training! You could have done this yesterday afternoon when we were doing nothing important! You've seriously set back our schedule! Did you know that? So as punishment, you would go back to the hills with the girls and teach them how to use the super shades! And I want them to be experts on it, understand? And I want you to tell them what the Professor and Dr. Edwards told us!"

"But…" Butch protested.

"But nothing! Do it, or there will be hell to pay!" Brick shouted, clearly showing his anger, and frightening his brothers by the look of his eyes

He then turned to the girls.

"Hey, that punishment is too light," Buttercup complained.

Brick got three cases of sunglasses "Well, first of all, I would want you to take this. These shades are the third part of gadgets that our Dads gave us this day. You three will go with my brothers to a plain with rocky hills north of Townsville and they will teach you how these gadgets work. Now, about the punishment. The prank my brothers did, compared to what Buttercup and Bubbles attempted when you tried to rescue the people of Citiesville, did not endanger any lives nor did it nearly cause the weakening of our team. It was only a prank, and a harmless one at that, one designed to piss you off and nothing else, and which you yourselves have done to us in the past. So the punishment that I've given them is commensurate to the mildness of the consequences of their actions. As for your revenge, I won't stop you, but neither will I help you. And if you do it, it must not interfere with our training or cause delay of our plans, or I'll punish you three even harder. Understand?"

"Yes Brick," the remaining five said.

"Now, go!" he shouted.

At once, the Butch, Bubbles, Blossom, Buttercup, Boomer flew out towards the rocky hills where the boys thought the girls the uses of the super shades while Brick relaxed in the couch and watched TV.

* * *

Two hours later…

The five kids arrived home after the boys finished teaching the girls how to use the super shades. Brick was at the door, and he immediately yanked Blossom by the arm, and pulled her to a room adjacent to the living room.

"What now, Brick?" an annoyed Blossom asked.

Brick gave her a folder.

"What's this?"

"Oh, it's my plan for our next course of action against the remaining three. I made it last night when I have nothing better to do, and I think it's perfect, but I want you to read it very carefully and tell me its flaws, how can it be improved, in short, critique it. Meet me here at the training lab tonight after all the others are sleep, and we'll finalize our plans on taking the remaining three out."

"Okay," Blossom said as she began skimming the contents of the folder.


	33. Setting the Trap

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 33**

**Setting the Trap**

The City of Townsville, and the population, though tense, were relaxed, not expecting any immediate attack from Ckracknow. Their panic was by now over, and they had supreme confidence in their heroes that whenever Ckracknow might attack, the villains would be defeated.

Their heroes, the Ruff-Puff Alliance, were themselves positive they would win. They already had eliminated Beta and Cychaela from the equation, and they had defeated attempts by Ckracknow to use riots to disrupt their training. They had a reliable spy in Harry Shippe who not only gave crucial information to the Alliance, but also fed disinformation to Ckracknow.

Now they only have Alpha, Epsilon and Delta to worry about.

* * *

It was nine-thirty in the evening, and Blossom had just finished reading the contents of the folder Brick had given her.

The contents of the folder were the following:

_December 20, 20-._

_The situation dramatically improved because of the death in the Battle of Townsville Plains of Cychaela and Beta. The remaining objectives are the death and defeat of Alpha, Delta and Epsilon._

_It has been observed that the main strength of the enemy is in their ridiculous strength, speed and their excellent cooperation. Therefore,_

_1. We cannot fight them in a fair fight. One on one, two on two, three on three, we cannot but lose. Two on one or even three on one, they would be victorious._

_2. We have numerical advantage, have better communications with each other, have excellent cooperation, have better intelligence, have better armor and technology, and have a secure base to retreat to in Townsville which, from Harry Shippe's intelligence, we know that Ckacknow would not invade._

_3. Our aim should be to neutralize their advantages, and maximize ours._

_4. The best way to do so is to isolate one of them while all six of us simultaneously attack him in battle. That is the only way for us to secure victory. That is the key in Cychaela and Beta's defeat._

_5. The problem is selecting who our next target would be, and how to isolate him._

_Harry Shippe gave the following information on the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining teen-age villains._

_1. Alpha - he is the leader of the team. He is the strongest, fastest, smartest, and most powerful of them all. His physical strength is as powerful as his energy attacks, and his fighting ability is just as impressive. He is the toughest nut to crack among the remaining three villains. _

_2. Epsilon - The strongest in terms of physical strength. A single punch could kill a ruff or puff at level 27. And he has very tough body. However, his weakness is that he has no laser or any ranged attacks whatsoever, he's probably the slowest of the group. And his body, though invincible to physical attacks, is weak if hit by laser._

_3. Delta - Fast, but not as fast as Alpha and Epsilon, has the most powerful laser attacks. His body is weak compared to others. When fighting him, avoid being hit by laser. Better to defeat him using hand-to-hand fighting. Not really different from Beta._

_So, using all the data above, I have come to the conclusion that our next target should be Epsilon because I believe he is the one who can easily be killed if he can be surrounded by at least five ruffs and puffs. The primary consideration would be the length of the fight since we cannot afford a long drawn out fight with him so as to prevent his colleagues from joining him if they should find out that Epsilon is outnumbered. In short, he must be dead before his two colleagues could realize that he is in danger and join him._

_A fight with Delta, though easy, would be a long and drawn out affair, and Alpha and Epsilon would join him before we could finish him off. Epsilon, however, would be faster if not easier to kill using concentrated laser fire._

_Having now established our next target, our problem is how to put him in a position where he would be alone and vulnerable and at the same time, prevent Delta and Alpha from interfering once the fight had commenced._

_In making our plans, it is important that we know the mindset of the enemy and use that to our advantage. Our asset Harry Shippe has provided us with information in that category._

_1. Most probably, they still don't know what really happened to Beta and Cychaela._

_2. They think Blossom is still the leader._

_3. They think Blossom would not attempt anything unfair, and would follow an honor code in fighting._

_4. They would not think Blossom would resort to dirty tricks to win, and would not lie._

_5. They think that Blossom controls every aspect of the operation, and everybody obeys her, and I, William B. Edwards Jr., am just a front._

_6. It is highly probable, though not certain, that Ckracknow would trust us, though we must not depend on that._

_Armed with the above knowledge, I have formulated a plan for isolating Epsilon and making sure that the others would not interfere against us. It would be subject to revisions if errors and wrong assumptions were found upon further inspection_

_1. Blossom would write a letter to Ckracknow challenging Epsilon on a one-on-one fight with Boomer on a deserted place somewhere in the state. Ckracknow would probably accept, seeing that Epsilon is much stronger than Boomer, and he would expect that his henchman would easily kill my brother._

_2. The challenge, however, is not really what it is. It is just a ruse to lure Epsilon away from his colleagues, and to isolate him, so we can take care of him six-on-one, and which we definitely would win_

_3. Accepting the premise above, the only problem would be that Ckracknow would have to be prevented from sending Alpha and Delta to the battlefield. There are several problems if that happens. That is why supreme deception must be made. Luckily, according to intelligence reports from Harry Shippe, they still had no idea what happened to Beta and Cychaela. They haven't the faintest idea what really happened to them, so they would be more susceptible_

_4. Therefore, every measure must be made to ensure that Ckracknow would believe that we would actually adhere to our guarantees that only Boomer would fight Epsilon._

The rest of the paper was just a summary of the battles they had with Beta and Cychaela, and its analysis, plus all the events that happened since December 10, from the attack of Citiesville, to the making of the initial strategy of the Ruffs and Puffs, to the death by the hour on TV of Townsville residents, to the introduction of Harry Shippe, through the giving of dictatorial powers to Brick, to the abortive attempt of Buttercup and Bubbles to make a rescue of trapped Citiesvillans, to the narrow escape when Brick and Butch made a dramatic rescue of Buttercup and Bubbles, to when a mob of five thousand tried to attack their homes but whom Blossom disbanded by an impassioned speech, to Bubbles and Buttercup's punishment, to the riot by the twenty thousand refugees, and to its crushing, right up to the fight with Beta and Cychaela.

Brick's notes, to say the least, impressed Blossom. They were as detailed, and as precise, as was her own notes. The only difference was that she wrote her notes on a notebook using a pen, while Brick encoded it. It was crisp, dry, objective, and to the point, with no emotion whatsoever, meant to inform, not to entertain, and boring to anybody not interested.

* * *

It was ten in the night…

The kids had been asleep for an hour. Brick decided to have his brothers and the girls sleep early that night in order to let them have sufficient rest. They were still a bit tired from the fight with Beta and Cychaela, and (for the boys) going to the field twice because of the prank. In order to prevent a possible revenge attempt that night by the girls, Brick decreed that sleeping at that designated night or any other night was part of the training and threatened punishment to anyone up after nine for any reason other than relieving themselves in the bathroom. He also said that every minute till Ckracknow's final defeat was training time, which ensured himself and his brothers from revenge attempts on the girls.

Brick was waiting for Blossom to arrive in the room downstairs adjacent to the living room. He was sitting on a couch drinking hot chocolate, reading some books. The door opened, and Blossom entered, holding in her right hand the folder with the files Brick gave her earlier that night.

"So, you read it?"

"Yup!"

"So, what do you think?"

"Well, a couple of things. First of all, congratulations on making such precise and detailed notes on the subject of the past few days. You have a very good grasp of reality. Second, that was a really good plan, but there are several things missing. By the way, what possessed you to ask me to review your plan?"

"Well, Blossom, you might be the ugliest girl in the world, a royal pain in the ass, annoying, bossy, arrogant, pretentious, hideous, jerky and such, have bad breath and stinks but anybody who claims you're not brilliant is a fool. You're smart. I know you can perfect my near-perfect plan."

"I'll ignore most of your erroneous description of me, you big fat blind, arrogant, slimy jerk, because it's not true. As for this plan, as I said, there are several missing things in this plan."

"Let me guess, it wasn't detailed enough, it doesn't address the problem that would arise if Ckracknow, Alpha and Epsilon insisted on watching the fight? And what exactly would you write to convince Ckracknow on our sincerity? Well, you're smart Blossom, you solve these problems."

"What, you want me to do your work? You're the leader!"

"And you're the second in command! Or at least you pretend to be one! I made the basic plans. And you should thank me that I allowed you to have some use by making you solve those problems, Blossom, so you could really be a second-in-command, instead pretending you're important to all."

"That's not true," Blossom shouted.

"Besides, you're telling me that you can't figure out the details of my plan? Let's face it, even if you're ugly and hideous, you're a brilliant and intelligent girl, and I know I can depend on you to carry on if I falter or solve things I can't!"

"Well, thanks Brick! And put it in that head of yours that I'm not ugly! I'm the most beautiful girl in this world!"

"Aarrgh! Now that's the wrongest thing I've heard all day—you being beautiful! Well, what are your suggestions?" Brick asked.

"Okay. I've read this, and the problems you've mentioned I've already spotted the moment I've read this. And I've been thinking several solutions to it. But one question, Brick. Wouldn't this be tad too sneaky? I mean we could permanently ruin our reputations if the letter becomes public?"

"I for one am not concerned whatsoever about our reputations! As long as we win! Besides, we won't damage our reputation with the people. I mean, you teamed up with Mojo to get candy from the Mayor for crying out loud, and they still forgave you! But, if you're concerned about your precious reputation, don't worry, I'm sure you'll find some way to keep the letter from the public."

"Well, I guess being victorious is more important than your reputation," Blossom replied. "Okay, here's the letter that I made."

"What? You already made the letter?" asked an astonished Brick, grabbing the piece of paper from Blossom's hand. "And in your handwriting too? I thought you were going to type it?"

"Well, you mentioned that since we were to make them think that I am the leader, might as well make sure that they don't even suspect the truth. Writing it using a pen would ensure that they wouldn't doubt I wrote it," Blossom said.

Brick carefully read the letter. "Not bad. Not bad at all!" he said after reading it. "Put it in an envelop and have Mr. Shippe deliver it to Mr. Ckracknow. If he agrees to your exact terms, then we'll have one less opponent to worry about."

"Well, is that all?"

"You still find any problems with our plan?"

"No?"

"Well, goodnight, you ugly girl," Brick said. "Time to hit the sack."

"Good night, you big fat arrogant jerk," Blossom snapped back. "And I'm not ugly!"

"By the way, Blossom, are you planning for revenge on my brothers for the prank they did?"

"Of course, but I won't tell you when," Blossom replied.

"Well, just don't do it while Ckracknow is still alive," Brick warned. "And I ain't a jerk."

Both leaders then went to bed.

* * *

The next day, December 21…

It was nine in the morning in Ckracknow's Citiesville headquarters. Ckracknow had been in his office, pacing back and forth, his face worried, looking at his watch ever so often. He sometimes stared at the window. The weather was still freezing, though it had stopped snowing and the sky was clear of any clouds. Besides him, as always, was the silent Epsilon, guarding his master. He was joined by Alpha, fresh from flying around the country.

"Well, did you find any trace of Beta and Cychaela?" asked Ckracknow.

"No. Not a single clue to where they were or where they might have been. I mean, where could they have gone?" Alpha reported.

"They couldn't have been killed or defeated by the kids. It would have been all over the news by now. Not to mention that it is impossible. Those two are just too powerful for that to happen."

"Maybe they secretly switched sides?" Alpha proposed.

"No. As you very well know, they can't do that. I've made them so they can't betray me."

"You're right," Alpha said. "But where could they have gone? Maybe they were lost in the snowstorm?"

"Nah. They're too smart for that to happen," Ckracknow said. "Well, they can't be killed by the kids, they can't switch sides, and they can't be lost. They just disappeared, and we have no clue what happened to them."

Harry Shippe arrived, and cautiously approached Ckracknow with a letter in his hand. "Sir?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Um, you see, Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, wrote a letter to you. She asked me to mail it, but I decided to give it to you personally so you can have it sooner, given that the postal system of this city has been cut off from the rest of the world," Harry explained.

Ckracknow took the letter and read it.

_Dear Mr. Ckracknow,_

_Over the past few days, our struggle seemed to have settled into a stalemate, our fight getting nowhere, and mutually exhausting for both of us._

_I decided to propose something. Why don't James Boomer Edwards and Epsilon fight a one-on-one battle on a deserted plain 20 miles south of Townsville, tomorrow, December 22, at nine in the morning? It would, in no way end the struggle, but it might tip the scales a bit, and that would lead to the resolution of this crisis and ease the burden of the population._

_The rules are that it should be a fair one-on-one fight, and that nobody else of either side should interfere. And to make it more interesting, nobody but the two combatants should be at the battle site._

_The fight is not to be permitted to be filmed live in order to avoid the temptation of one side interfering if the fight is not going well for one side. Rather, the fight would be filmed, and it would be sent to a local media station by the victors, so both sides would only know the result after the conclusion of the fight._

_I, as leader of the Powerpuff Girls, do solemnly pledge, on my honor, and the honor and reputation of my sisters and the boys, that we would abide by this agreement if you do so, and not interfere in the fight, even if our side is losing._

_Please reply._

_(signed) _

_Blossom Utonium_

Ckarcknow then handed the letter both to Shippe and to Alpha, who read and examined it.

"Well?" asked Ckracknow. "What do you think? Should I accept it, or not?"

"I don't think so. I think it's a trap," Alpha advised. "I mean, they know that Boomer can't win against Epsilon alone. I think they plan to pounce on him. And that part where we can't go to the battlefield and it can't be filmed live meant that they don't want us to know what was really happening. Why? Because they don't want us to know that they will be interfering in the fight."

"And how do you know this?" Ckracknow asked.

"That's what I would have done," Alpha said.

"I disagree, sir. I don't think they'd risk their reputations by fragrantly violating their own word. They pledged their solemn word in that letter, and I doubt that they would descend so low as you suggested, Alpha," Harry argued.

"Well, why wouldn't they? I would!" Alpha shot back.

"Well they're not you. While you, Alpha, are an unscrupulous villain who would not hesitate to use such methods, they are not! They are superheroes with a pure heart and word of honor, and consider their reputations, which would be ruined if they did that, as important as winning," Shippe argued.

"Yeah, but if that is so, why would they be so stupid as to challenge Epsilon on a one on one fight they'd surely lose?" Ckracknow asked.

"Well, maybe they think he can beat him, otherwise, they won't commit a kamikaze act like that," Shippe said. "After all, they were training all this time, and they individually got more powerful. Still, we all know that no matter how much they train, they can never defeat us in battle. We are just too powerful. Still, it's a comfort to them that they think that they can beat Epsilon just by training. After all, if they think they'll eventually surpass him in strength, they will fight when they think they have surpassed him. For some reason, they think they can beat him now."

"In other words, they're deluded," Ckracknow said.

"Yup! I suggest you accept it as it is. There's no harm in doing so. They're too good to cheat. They will abide by the agreement and keep out of the fight, thinking that Boomer can win. And since we all know how a Boomer and Epsilon fight will turn out, why worry?"

"You're right," Alpha conceded. "You're a spy on their house, and know possibly more about them than me. Still, I see no reason to observe the agreement. We can still ambush Boomer, and the rest wouldn't be any wiser to it since they will not be there."

"Yeah, but why bother? If you do that, they'll find out sooner or later, and they wouldn't believe anything we say after that. They then wouldn't make similar stupid moves because they can claim we cheated. Better play it fair, since Epsilon would win, and they can't complain on cheating on our part, can they?" Shippe argued. "Let's not make it a travesty."

"Well, you make a hell of an argument, Harry, so we'll do it your way," Ckracknow said. "As Napoleon said on Austerlitz, 'The enemy is making a major strategic error. Let's not disturb them'."

Ckracknow then took a piece of paper and wrote his reply. It read:

_Ms. Utonium,_

_Have read your proposal. I accept it fully. Epsilon will fight Boomer on your terms and rules._

_(signed) _

_Ferguson Ckracknow._

He put it in an envelope, sealed it, and gave it to Shippe. "Give this to Blossom."

Harry Shippe took the letter and went back to Townsville.

* * *

Later, at twelve…

The kids were taking a break from training. They were already at level 31, but were hard pressed to reach level 32.

They were at the living room, resting among the couches, when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," Butch said and opened the door. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Shippe."

"Yes, can I come in?"

"Mr. Shippe, so?" Brick eagerly asked.

Mr. Shippe gave the letter to Brick. Brick read it, and his eyes widened in glee.

"What?" Blossom said, grabbing the paper and reading it. A big smile came upon her face. "They took the bait!" she exclaimed, barely able to resist screaming for joy. Things are going according to plan."

"Yup, they fell for it!" Brick exclaimed. "And now, they're going to pay!"

"Fell for what?" Butch asked.

"Yeah, what are you two talking about?" Bubbles asked.

Buttercup grabbed the letter, and read it. "What is this all about?"

"Yeah, tell us your little secret!" Boomer said.

Brick and Blossom then told the rest of the kids their plan.

"I don't know. I don't trust them. What if they joined Epsilon?" Buttercup asked.

"Oh they won't. Part of our plan made sure that they won't interfere! I assure you, it will be a lopsided win for us! Trust me!" Blossom said.

"I don't know. We're taking a major risk here," Buttercup said.

"Trust me on this," Brick assured her.

"You two know something we don't!" Butch charged. "Okay, cough it up!"

"Yeah, don't keep things from us!" Buttercup said.

Blossom looked at Brick to see whether or not to tell them Harry is really a spy.

"Well, I'll tell you when we finally win. Right now, it's better if only Blossom and I know it."

"What, you don't trust us?" Buttercup angrily charged.

"I trust all of you, but I, as the leader, hold the right to keep important secrets and entrust it to anybody I choose," Brick said. "Don't worry. Trust me! Besides, you already know much of the plan."

"Well, if you say so, Brick," Butch said, backing down. In truth, he just doesn't want to fight his brother in front of the girls. He's reserving it for when they were alone.

Buttercup decides not to press the issue, but to see if the plan goes well.

Boomer and Bubbles totally believed and had faith on the two leaders.

* * *

Later…

Delta was at the TV station, still doing the hourly killings, though by now, nobody among the villains believed that it will draw the kids into a suicidal attack. They just did it to terrorize the people of Townsville, though it was futile since they still didn't know that Brick shut down all TV transmissions from Citiesville to Townsville.

Alpha arrived at the skyscraper after two hours of another futile search for the missing Beta and Cychaela. Ckracknow was doing some paperwork.

"Find any clues to where they might be?" asked Ckracknow without looking at the silver haired teen.

"No. Still not a trace of them."

"Oh well. Alpha, I have some plans for the fight tomorrow. You see, Blossom's offer have opened some opportunities that if exploited, would give permanent advantage to us."

"So you're going to cheat?"

"No. Not at all. I won't cheat nor interfere in the fight. I'm just going to change the rules a bit."

"And your plan is?" asked Alpha.

"Listen, you take Epsilon and Delta, and go to Townsville," Ckracknow instructed.

"We're going to attack Townsville?"

"No, you're not. You are to go there incognito, and would not, in any way, do any damage. Here's the rest of it."

And Ckracknow told Alpha of his plan.

* * *

Later that night…

The kids had reached level 32, and have just finished eating dinner. They are ready to hit the sack, and call it a day, when suddenly Dr. Edwards called from his watch.

"Boys, girls, a man who calls himself Major Man is attacking the west part of Townsville. He has superpowers and the police can't handle it."

"That loser again?" Buttercup said in contempt.

"Major who?" asked Boomer.

"You know, the one whom the girls made a phony monster attack to destroy," Butch reminded. "Major Man!"

"Okay, whose turn it is to save the day?" asked a sleepy Boomer.

No one seems to remember whose turn it was to save the day, and since all of them wanted to sleep, nobody wanted to be bothered at all.

"Okay, since he's very weak compared to us, only one of us is needed to defeat him. Let's spin the bottle to see who gets to go out there and deal with him," Blossom suggested.

The kids arranged themselves in a circle, while Blossom got an empty bottle. She spun it. And it pointed to leader of the Powerpuff Girls when it stopped.

"Guess I'll be taking care of it," Blossom said.

"Just don't tire yourself too much," Brick cautioned. "We need you to be fresh and crisp for tomorrow's battle."

"Don't worry, Major Man won't be a problem at all," Blossom assured.

With that, the rest of the kids brushed their teeth, washed their faces, changed into their pajamas and nightgowns, and slept.

* * *

Blossom went out to deal with Major Man. The pink puff discovered him, destroying buildings and such, and defying the police. The moment Major Man saw her, he immediately flew away deeper into the city.

"Not so fast, Major Man!" the pink puff declared before following him. She spotted him round a corner in a deserted alley. Blossom chased him.

As she rounded the corner, she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Huge arms were wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her side, a balled wad of rag was shoved into her mouth, and a hand covered her mouth.

Soon, she saw another man, but it was too dark to clearly see who it was, who quickly placed some kind of goggles on her eyes. He then took her flailing legs, and cuffed it. She tried breaking it, but she couldn't.

"Good work, Epsilon," the man said.

'Epsilon?' Blossom thought. 'And that voice. It's Delta! Oh my God! It's a trap!'

Blossom fought hard, but when she suddenly saw Alpha, all hope of breaking free was gone. They tied a tightly tied a large bandana around her head and between her teeth twice to prevent her from spitting out the rag from her mouth, then flipped her and quickly pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed them tightly. They then put an anti gravity belt on her. Blossom was now officially helpless.

She still wiggled.

"Give it up, girl," Alpha said. "Those cuffs are made of duranium, and it's the only thing you couldn't break!"

'Give me a break! Dr. Edwards' Hardetal is even stronger than duranium,' Blossom shot back in her mind.

"Hey, where's my reward?" asked Major Man.

Alpha gave Major Man a knapsack. Major Man took it, and was delighted when he saw lots of green bills.

"It's two million dollars," Alpha said. "Now get out of here before I kill you!"

Major Man was happy to leave with the cash.

"Ha, we got jackpot! Who knew that it would actually be Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance?" Delta exclaimed.

"Yup, it was a good piece of luck that Blossom was the one who came here!" Alpha said. "Now let's go back to Citiesville."

Epsilon slung Blossom on his shoulders, and the three flew back to Citiesville.

* * *

"Sir, look at who we managed to bag! The queen of the hive herself!" Delta shouted as they returned to the skyscraper.

"Blossom? Well, that's certainly good news," Ckracknow said as he saw Blossom on Epsilon's shoulders. "Put her on the sofa."

Epsilon roughly dropped the pink-puff on the couch. Blossom immediately got herself into a sitting position.

Ckracknow then faced Blossom. "Look at the prize we got. I only thought of bagging one of you tonight, but who would've thought that it would be you Blossom, the Supreme Leader of the Alliance? Now with you captured, the Ruff-Puff Alliance is leaderless, without a head, without their brains, and only a shadow of it's former self!"

'Oh please, Brick's the real leader. Guess that elaborate deception plan worked,' Blossom thought. She was scared to death about what might happen to her. Still, on the outside, she didn't show any of it, and acted as a captive leader should. She tried arguing, but of course, the rag in her mouth prevented that.

"I'd ungag you so we can talk, but I'd rather not have you using your ice breath on this room, now would I?" Ckracknow said.

'Great. Now I know that having an extra power really sucks in some situations,' Blossom thought.

"Well, let's go to bed," Ckracknow said. "It's late."

"Who will guard her?" asked Delta.

"Nobody. She won't go anywhere in those cuffs, and she can't do anything," Ckracknow said. "Leaver her there."

Reluctantly, Delta, Epsilon, and Alpha left Blossom on the living room, sitting on the couch. They put off the light, and locked the steel door.

* * *

Blossom waited on the couch, and waited for a full hour, to make sure that all of her captors were asleep. After the hour, she, with difficulty, stood up, hopped to the steel door, and slammed her head on it. The door fell easily, and she hopped to the terrace. She then jumped to the ground below, knowing that the impact on the ground would not even scratch her.

Unfortunately for Blossom, Delta grabbed her mid-air before she landed on the ground.

"You've been a naughty little girl. Luckily for you, Master Ckracknow gave strict orders not to harm you, nor molest or touch you, or otherwise, you'd be seriously fcked up by now," Delta said.

Blossom shuddered at what he meant.

He took Blossom by her collar, and flew her back to the wrecked living room. He placed her on the sofa on her stomach, pushed her legs backwards to as close to her hands as possible, then using a chain made of duranium, chained together the cuffs on her feet and hands, hog-tying her. With that, Delta left.

Blossom, with her mobility taken away from her, just slept the night away, hoping for a miracle.

* * *

The next day, December 22, at eight in the morning…

"Where the hell is Blossom?" asked Brick. "Where they heck could she have gone," Brick asked as they noticed she wasn't in the house.

"Well, I don't know," Buttercup replied. "I haven't seen her since last night. She didn't even go back to bed!"

Bubbles was watching a morning cartoon in the living room while the others were arguing about where Blossom could be, when suddenly, Ckracnow appeared on TV.

"Members of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, I hope you are watching this. I have Blossom," Ckracknow said.

All six kids, plus Dr. Edwards and the Professor, froze, their eyes glued to the television.

The scene in the TV then changed to a scene showing Blossom. Her hands were still cuffed behind her, as were her ankles, but she was no longer hog-tied. She was still gagged. On her left, sitting besides her on the same couch, was Alpha, and on her right, Delta.

"Now, our capture of your beloved leader won't change our plans. No sir, the fight between Boomer and Epsilon shall proceed as planned. But there are certain changes. Instead of a camera taping it and showing the event after it happened, I have appointed a camera crew that would record the fight live. Now here are the new rules. First, we won't interfere in the fight. And I trust that you would not. However, if any of you except Boomer as much as appear in the battle, we will kill Blossom on the spot. Second, if Boomer chose not to go to the battle as you promised, Blossom dies. Third, if Boomer wins, Blossom won't be killed, but she would be beaten up, and tortured. Fourth, if Epsilon wins, she won't be harmed, or tortured or touched. But she will remain a captive of us. The fight would be a fight to the death. If Boomer runs away, Blossom would be killed. And the fight would only end when one of them is dead. Don't attempt a rescue of Blossom, since Delta and Alpha would sit on either side of her until the fight between Epsilon and Boomer is over. And if we detect any of you on the premises of Citiesville, Blossom would die. That is all."

"Oh shit," Brick said. Blossom and Brick's plan were wrecked, and in the process, endangered the lives on not only Blossom, but also of blue ruff, Boomer.


	34. Desperate Measures

**Allies and Rivals II **

**Chapter 34 **

**Desperate Measures**

The City of Townsville…

The boys and girls were frozen after Ckracknow's face on the TV disappeared. Brick and Blossom's perfect plan wasn't so perfect after all, and Blossom was in the enemy's hands.

It was a severe blow for the team. Blossom was gone. And it looks like Boomer will be too. Morale among the kids plunged.

"We're doomed!" Boomer said in panic. "I'm doomed! Blossom's doomed! We're all doomed! Brick's plan failed! What are we gonna do?"

"This is all your fault!" Buttercup shouted, pointing her finger at Brick. "It's your plan after all!"

"Well, I say, let's ambush Epsilon just the same!" Butch proposed. "I'm not going to stand here and let Boomer get chopped to pieces!"

"But what about Blossom?" Bubbles asked Butch.

"I don't give a damn about Blossom! I'm concerned about Boomer, and if Blossom dies, then so be it!" Butch asserted.

"What? Take that back, Butch!" Buttercup shouted.

"Butch, will you shut up?" Brick said. "You're acting irrational and immature. Nobody is going to die today, not Blossom, not Boomer, not anybody, except Epsilon!"

"And are you going to sacrifice your brother to save Blossom?" Butch asked.

"No!" Brick snapped.

"And you, Brick, are a worse leader than Blossom ever was!" Buttercup shouted. "You shouldn't be leader now! I regret not voting for Blossom in the last election! Now look at what where you have led us? Look at what happened to Blossom? What kind of a leader makes a plan that causes my sister to be kidnapped, and your own brother's life to be endangered?"

"Are you kidding me? Brick's fault is that he toadies too much to that damned sister of yours! He's become too soft, and his judgment had been affected! But he's still a better leader than Blossom ever will be!" Butch shouted. "I say it was a brilliant plan, and Blossom be damned!"

"Will you two shut up! Butch, Blossom won't die today, and neither will Boomer. And I promise you, we will end this day with both of them alive and Epsilon dead! And Butch, for the umpteenth time, I am no toady, or slave, or anything, to Blossom, and I'm not soft at all! And Buttercup, it's too late for you to change your vote, is it now? Heck, if you want, why don't we hold an election right now, among us five? You versus me! Same old rules! The winner becomes leader!" Brick challenged. "And if I'm so bad, then, pray tell me of your plan, ha? Tell me, what's your brilliant plan to extricate Blossom from Ckracknow's clutches?"

Buttercup was silent. She had been cornered. She could not accept Brick's challenge, for she'll lose any election with Blossom gone. And Buttercup hasn't thought of a plan either. "Well, we could go and rescue Blossom and kick their asses and get this over with!"

"How about Boomer, how about the fight? Don't you think, with your plan, if it is a plan at all, Blossom would be killed? And we would lose the fight five versus three! And they'll immediately kill Blossom if they see us coming anywhere near Citiesville, so even if we defeat them all, Blossom will die! Well, what have you to say for your plan?" Brick said, utterly destroying the green puff's idea. "If we do that, you have effectively signed Blossom's death warrant!"

"Well, uh, well, do you have anything better?" Buttercup retorted, unable to answer Brick's question.

"Hey, why are you so concerned with that redheaded girl?" asked Butch. "You like her, don't you?" he said with disgust.

"Because, we need her to win, dummy! And no, I don't like her at all! She's ugly and annoying. But brilliant nonetheless!" Brick said.

"Ha, you don't have a better plan!" Buttercup taunted. "Ha, I bet that even if you have a new plan, it would backfire!"

"At least I could make a plan that could backfire," Brick snapped, "unlike a certain someone I know who doesn't even think of a plan! Just attack, attack, attack! At least Blossom has common sense, and thinks, unlike you!"

"Well, I still think that since you screwed up, you shouldn't be leader at all!" Buttercup replied. "I demand that you resign as leader after this is all over! My sister is in danger because of you!"

"That's ridiculous," Brick said. "As ridiculous as you eating the excrement of a chicken."

"Well, if you won't, then screw you! Bubbles and I are going to bolt this alliance and rescue Blossom on our own, and I'm not going to take orders from you!" Buttercup shouted.

"You will do no such thing!" Brick earnestly said. "You know you can't beat them on your own. You're going to get Blossom killed, and you and Bubbles will either fail spectacularly, be captured, or get killed. Remember what Ckracknow said on television? And I have no doubt in my mind that he will carry out his threat if you plunge forward into the abyss!"

"Will you all stop it?" a teary-eyed Bubbles shouted. She was in tears. "Please don't fight. Butch, even thought don't you like Blossom, what you said about her is just plain mean. Please don't let her die. And Buttercup, it's not Brick's fault that this all happened. I'm sure in his heart, he, like all of us, wishes that we should defeat those monsters in Citiesville. And I still trust him, and he's a good leader. And I don't like it if we split up with them, because we can't win if we are divided. Brick, you're a good leader, and I know you'll think of something, but please stop fighting Buttercup and be more humble. Please, you all, please, don't fight. Not now! Fight some other day, when we no longer have enemies, but not now! Why can't we just get along?"

Bubbles sudden outburst had calmed all concerned, even the normally contemptuous Butch. It touched Buttercup, who calmed down a bit. It lowered Butch's temper, though it didn't change his attitude towards leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Brick was just glad all the shouting stopped.

Boomer was tongue tied through all of this, though he naturally sided with his brother. He was frightened by the prospect of facing Epsilon alone, but he would deliver the necessary courage if asked to by his brother. His view of Blossom improved considerably in the past few days, though he still disliked Blossom. He disapproved of Butch's cruel words.

Brick slowly floated just above them all. "Thanks Bubbles. Look, I am the leader of this alliance, and such, I'll take the blame for the debacle that just happened. I won't blame it on anyone. I am the leader, and such, I have to take responsibility for failure. You know that, especially since I resigned as leader of the Rowdyruff Boys when I thought Dad was killed. Yes, it's all my fault this has happened, and I blame no one but myself. I was blind when I just assumed that Ckracknow would just believe that we would fight fair."

"When, for example, after our inevitable victory over Ckracknow, you tell others of this near debacle, of Blossom's kidnapping, you will say it's my fault, and I will bear no grudge against you. A leader who doesn't take responsibility for the failures of his team during his leadership tenure isn't worth being leader of a spit of a dog."

"But if you expect me to go and apologize to each and every one of you for that, you'll be disappointed. I will not grovel and beg for forgiveness for my mistakes. No sir, taking responsibility does not imply I will say sorry. I won't. I will correct my mistakes of course, but I won't say sorry," the proud leader proclaimed. "I will not apologize to anybody except Dad, and I won't make any exceptions."

"Butch, I'm really ashamed that you would say such things about Blossom. Sure, I know you hate her, and I don't like her too, but we are allies fighting against a common enemy, and as such, your words are inexcusable, especially in this crisis! Take back those words, now!"

"But Brick, you can't ask me…" Butch said.

"Butch, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you!"

"But…"

"You dare defy me, your leader, and your brother, Butch? NOW GO AND DO IT BEFORE I MAKE YOU PAY!" Brick shouted at the top of his voice at the green rowdyruff, his eyes burning with rage, his face twisted into something scary, his booming voice very loud, his body shaking, his breathing heavy. "You and Boomer promised me when you begged me to be the leader again that you will always follow me unconditionally! Well, I demand that you do it!"

Butch suddenly winced and backed a few steps away from his enraged brother. Butch was the toughest, but Brick at the height of his anger and rage was really scary, just like his father, Dr. Edwards, when he becomes angry. He winced at his brother's eyes, and in a few seconds, found it impossible to look him in the eye without shuddering. And he in his mind had no doubt Brick will back-up his words with action if necessary.

Butch decided the best course would be to back down, even though he really wasn't sorry. "Okay, I take it back," he said. "And I care if Blossom would die or not."

"Good," Brick said, his anger and rage disappearing as quickly as it emerged. His scary expression was gone, and he looked like the Brick they all knew—when not angry. Nevertheless, it formed a lasting impression on the others.

Buttercup was shocked and frightened by his display, but hid it of course, and secretly thanked God that, Butch, not she, was the object of red ruff's rage.

"Now, I'm still the leader, and I promise that not only will I get us out of this mess, but I will accomplish the objectives we have set for this day before Blossom was captured—the end of Epsilon. And Buttercup, listen to what I have to say. If I did not accomplish all of my goals—if for example, we failed to rescue Blossom, or if Epsilon is still breathing at the end of this day, or God—forbid, Blossom or Boomer died this day, then I will resign the leadership and give it to Blossom. If Blossom dies today, then you, will be the new leader, since you, my dear Buttercup, clearly thinks that you could be a better leader than either Blossom or me! "

All the others gasped at Brick's declaration.

"But before any of you say anything else, there's a second part to it! If I succeed in all my goals, if we kill Epsilon, and if we rescued Blossom, then not only will I remain leader of this Alliance, but you will never again challenge my authority as leader, especially you Buttercup, and you will apologize for foolishly challenging me! You may challenge and question my actions as leader, but not my authority to do those actions. Do you accept, Buttercup?"

"I accept!" Buttercup snapped, accepting Brick's challenge.

Buttercup was caught in a quandary when she realized its implications. After all her denunciations of Brick, about how he should resign because of his failure, now that's he's offering it if he failed, she couldn't decline without losing face. The way Brick tied the successful conclusion of the mission to his own position as leader was sneaky. She couldn't hope for Brick to be defeated in the contest now, because doing so would encourage defeat and might lead to Blossom's demise.

But now, after listening to Brick, she wasn't as adamant as before in demanding Brick step-down. Her prime loyalties were to Townsville and to her sisters, and her pet feud with Brick would take a back-seat to it. And Brick himself proved that in the last few minutes that he was worthy of being leader, just as much as Blossom was, and he regained a lot of respect in Buttercup's eyes. Sure he was arrogant. Sure he was annoying. Sure he was bossy. Sure he was a slave driver, power-mad, secretive, and cruel. But he made Butch, Brick's own brother, take back his caustic words against Blossom, her sister. And it was clear to her that he really does care about her sister, even though he masked it. And he really wanted the team to succeed. And he didn't try to blame anyone for the debacle but himself.

Besides, she herself had no idea on how to extricate themselves from this mess, and it looks like Brick had an ace up his sleeve. Of course, she kept it all to herself, and remained outwardly hostile to Brick.

"You can't just risk your position!" Boomer protested. "I don't want to follow Blossom again like we did when she is leader!"

"But I don't intend to fail!" Brick confidently proclaimed. "And I will get us out of it, mark my words!"

"So, Brick, what's your plan?" asked Buttercup.

All eyes were on the redheaded leader.

"Give me fifteen minutes to think of something," Brick said.

The rest of them looked incredulously and disappointingly at Brick. They all expected him to have a solution right there and then.

"What? I couldn't just magically come up with a full proof plan in a second, now can I? Especially since I spent the last twenty minutes defending myself against a coup!"

With that, Brick began pacing back and forth, muttering incomprehensible phrases to himself, clearly thinking.

The others just talked among themselves, trying to figure out a plan, but utterly failing to.

* * *

After fifteen minutes, at about eight thirty-five…

"Okay, it's already fifteen minutes," Butch said.

"Okay, here's my plan. First, all of you are wearing the armored clothes, am I right?"

All nodded.

"And are you carrying all our necessary accessories, like the shades for the sunball and for magnifying our laser eyes, and the decoys, the handkerchief, and such?"

All nodded.

"Good. Now, Boomer, it's eight-forty in the morning. Go to the plain 20 miles south of here—alone."

"You're sending me alone?" Boomer asked, frightened.

"Yes! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You'll be alright. Now here are my instructions. Wear the handkerchief over your face like cowboy. It would protect your face from the blows of Epsilon. Remember, Epsilon cannot do laser or any range attack on you. All he could do is punch you and kick you or squeeze you. But keep in mind that he is the strongest of the five. His strongest physical blows would kill you if you're wearing ordinary clothes. Fortunately, Dad's new clothes are armored. However, they still don't know that. Boomer, whatever you do, do not tell them of the armored clothes. Let them think you suddenly got super strong. And don't use the super shades until I tell you to, okay? And when you fight, put as much distance between the two of you as possible, and keep hitting him with laser attacks. You'll be alright if you do that."

"Are you sure? Because I'm still scared going out there alone," Boomer said.

"Look, Boomer, you're a Rowdyruff! Rowdyruff's shouldn't be scared. If you are, don't show it!" Butch said. "Be tough, act brave, and don't let that lard of muscle scare you!"

"Yup! Be a man! Go out there and make me and Dad proud! And remember my instructions, okay? " Brick said.

"Yes, sir, Brick!" Boomer shouted, greatly encouraged. Though he's still scared, he buried it, put on a brave face, found the confidence he needed to do what his brother requires of him, and flew towards the battle zone.

"Bubbles, Buttercup, go and follow him," Brick ordered as soon as the blue ruff was out of earshot. "And don't let him see you until I give you the signal. When he arrives at the battleground, you will go and observe the fight. But you will hide yourself from Boomer, Epsilon, and the camera crew. Watch over Boomer, please. But under no circumstance will you let Epsilon or the TV crew to see you. It will endanger Blossom's life if that happens. And wait for my signal. When you receive it, openly help Boomer fight."

"Aye aye, Brick!" Bubbles exclaimed, and she and Buttercup secretly followed Boomer.

"And what do I do, o great leader?" asked Butch, sarcastically as soon as the two were alone.

"We rescue Blossom," Brick said.

"What? Why don't we go and watch Boomer, and let Buttercup and Bubbles rescue their own sister?" Butch asked.

"They might botch it," Brick replied. "Hiding themselves from a fight while watching it is simple compared to making a stealthy rescue and making sure we achieve total surprise. Anything less would result in Blossom's death. I don't think they are competent enough to do such, as they most likely will mess it up and get her killed. So we will do it!"

"So, how are we going to do it?" asked Butch.

"Just do what I do," Brick said. "And do what I say."

With that, the two left for Citiesville, hugging the ground, and going under as much cover, like trees, as they could. Sometimes, they went through houses with open windows. They went in a zig-zag direction to throw off any pursuers, not that there was any, and at 9:10 a.m., reached the bank of the lake surrounding Citiesville. Then they halted, taking cover under some debris.

Both boys looked across the lake. There were huge chunks of ice floating in the lake, and they could clearly see the tall skyscrapers gloriously rising towards the heavens. They could also see the destruction that occurred. Many buildings were now rubble. Smoke was rising to the sky, as many buildings were burning, and due to lack of electricity, people resorted to using fires to warm themselves in this unusually cold winter.

"Butch, before we continue, I'd like to say something," Brick said.

Butch was silent.

"I know you hate Blossom, Butch, but could you refrain from insulting her when she's absent and in the presence of her sisters? You could insult her all you want when we're alone, and nobody else but Boomer and I could hear it?"

"Why?" asked Butch.

"Because hell, it makes me look bad," Brick explained. "I am not only the leader of you and Boomer. No, I am also the leader of those three girls, and every time you open your big fat mouth, I look bad, and my authority over them diminishes. That is why I had to make you take back those words, Butch. I want them to respect me, and follow whatever my orders are, and they can't respect me if they perceive that I don't respect them, do I?"

"You just like that redheaded girl, do you?" Butch accused.

"No I don't, you idiot! How many times do I have to drill into your head the fact that I don't like that ugly girl? I'm doing this because my power over them will wane if I don't!"

"Agreed. I promise I won't put my foot on my mouth again. So what exactly is your plan?" asked Butch, changing the subject

"Well, at about this time," Brick began, glad to shift to another topic. "Boomer and Epsilon are fighting. We can assume that Ckracknow, Delta, and Alpha are watching the fight on television, and therefore, are not guarding Blossom. Blossom is tied-up to prevent her from escaping, either in a room with the three, like we saw on television this morning, or she could be kept locked in another room, also tied-up, with one of his henchmen guarding her, while the Delta, Alpha and Ckracknow would be watching the fight. We would be lucky if Blossom is in another room, but if she is in the same room with the three men, especially if she was sat, still tied and gagged, between Alpha and Delta, then our prospects are much more dim and the possibility of Blossom's death will be greater."

"So what's your plan?" asked Butch.

"We go to Ckracknow's skyscraper, hope we're lucky, and find Blossom," Brick said.

"That's your plan?"

"And avoid detection by our enemies," Brick said, "until we have her safely in our hands. Then, we run like hell!"

"That's it?"

"Not very imaginative, but do you have a better plan?"

"Well, no. Let's do it then," Butch replied.

So the two brothers crossed the lake to Citiesville and raced towards Ckracknow's skyscraper.

* * *

In the meantime…

Boomer arrived at the battle site about ten minutes before nine. Epsilon was not yet there, but Boomer was certain that he will arrive soon. A camera crew on a helicopter was hovering nearby. Its attempts to interview Boomer were politely rebuffed by the blue ruff.

Five minutes later, he arrived. The 6'5" 18-year-old with brown hair and black eyes readied himself for his clash with Boomer, fully confident that he would emerge victorious.

Boomer of course, was frightened, but he mustered the necessary courage to do his duty. He remembered his Dad, and his brothers, and his home, and he was injected with the necessary resolve to do what he needed to do. Alone, or so he thought, he couldn't let his brother down. Brick had to have a plan, or he wouldn't send him on this suicide mission. Besides, he had armored clothes, and super shades, though he wasn't to use the shades until Brick said so. And Epsilon and his colleagues don't know about the armor, because it looked like ordinary clothes.

Boomer and Epsilon stared at each other.

"Come on, you prick! I'll thrash you and wipe the floor with your carcass!" Boomer shouted, going into a fighting position.

"You will lose," Epsilon said in his characteristically unemotional manner.

"That's it? What a lame comeback!" Boomer sneered.

At that point, Epsilon lurched forward and delivered a powerful punch on Boomer's stomach, sending him crashing through the ground below.

'That should kill him,' Epsilon thought.

Boomer, though shaken, found out to his pleasant surprise that he was barely hurt at all. 'Wow, this armored clothes really works! This is so cool. Funny, why are there wrinkles if this is so tough? Oh well, it doesn't matter as long as it protects me!'

Boomer emerged from the rubble with renewed confidence. He got the large handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around his head like a cowboy would to protect his face. "Too dusty!" he shouted to Epsilon.

Epsilon was utterly surprised by this. 'What? That blow should have killed him! It's my most powerful one!' Thought his face remained expressionless and he said nothing.

"Nah! You didn't even hurt me!" Boomer boasted.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Buttercup and Bubbles were hiding behind some rocks, far enough so that they won't be seen by either combatant, or by the helicopter crew, but close enough that they could see the fight clearly, and come to the aid of the boy at a moment's notice.

"Go Boomer!" Bubbles shouted, but not loud enough for her to be noticed. She was worried about Boomer when he was struck, but was relieved when Boomer emerged almost unscathed.

"Yup! I'm glad the Professor and Dr. Edwards gave us these presents early," Buttercup commented.

Bubbles could only agree.

* * *

Meanwhile…

In a large room near the top of their skyscraper, Alpha and Delta were seated in a couch watching the fight on TV. Blossom, tied-up and gagged, seated between the two, was also watching the fight. Ckracknow was seated on another chair.

"What? How the hell could he survive that? That should have cracked Boomer's bones and killed him on the spot, or at least leave him in agonizing pain!" Delta shouted at he saw Boomer emerge from the rubble without a scratch.

"That is not possible! Epsilon is physically the strongest being in the planet!" Alpha remarked as he watched the fight in disbelief.

Blossom was smug, though frightened. She fully knew what would happen to her if Boomer wins, but was nonetheless pleased. 'Ha, our armored clothes really rocks!' she thought. 'Since Epsilon can't do ranged attacks, like laser, and physically he can't do much damage to Boomer, Boomer is safe!'

"It seemed that we have underestimated their training, and the level of strength they have gained as a result," Ckracknow said. "Now, I'm not so sure of an easy victory as before, but I have faith Epsilon will pull this off. Don't worry, Epsilon will win!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Boomer was smiling, though the fact was hidden by the handkerchief. But Epsilon was soon upon him, punching him hard in the stomach, then delivering a kick upon the top of his head, then punching him in the face. He then took Boomer by the feet, spun him around then repeatedly smashed him against the rocks in the adjacent hills. He then elbowed the blue ruff on the stomach.

Epsilon then backed away, fully expecting Boomer to be either dead, or unconscious, or incapacitated. But it was not to be.

Boomer rose, unhurt at all, but his head was dizzy from being spun around. "Oh, my head's spinning," he said, holding his head.

Epsilon got angry. In fury, he charged at his greatest speed and struck the blue ruff in the stomach, sending him miles away as a result. Boomer, unhurt by the punch, halted mid-air, but before he could do anything, Epsilon flew in rapidly and gave Boomer a powerful spinning kick on the side. He quickly grabbed Boomer by his left leg using his left hand, suspended him up-side-down, then used his right fist to relentlessly punch Boomer like a punching bag, delivering about a hundred powerful blows on the poor ruff. Luckily, Epsilon only punched Boomer on the parts of his body where there were clothes covering it. (Because only his eyes were unprotected at this point.)

Epsilon then threw Boomer on the ground, confident that he had dealt the boy a mortal blow.

Boomer just as easily rose from the ground, and smirked. Epsilon, though he didn't show it, was infuriated and confused.

Boomer then flew to Epsilon as fast as he can, and he quickly began to bombard him with laser from both his eyes and his hands, always keeping a respectable distance between him and his opponent.

Epsilon confidently absorbed the attacks to show his opponent that he was invincible. The laser attacks, though not really harming Epsilon, was annoying because it hurt him a little. After all, Boomer's power increased to level 32, while Epsilon was probably the most vulnerable of Ckracknow's super teens to attack by laser blasts. He was surprised that he was vulnerable, from Boomer of all people, at all.

After a dozen or so direct hits, Epsilon was annoyed. And he once again attacked the blue clad rowdyruff. But the little boy just backed off and continued hitting him with laser while doing so, while the tall powerful clone was slowed down in his offensive by incessant laser attacks. Boomer then spun around the teen-ager, hitting him continually with laser. Epsilon tried catching his opponent, but just can't.

So it happened that way in the next five minutes.

Soon, Boomer sensed that Epsilon was weakening from all the laser attacks. Having a flush of confidence rush through him by him being unscathed, and Epsilon's seeming weakness, he became convinced that he could win alone. He decided to give the _coup de_ _grace_ that will finally win him the fight.

It was a grave blunder.

Boomer swooped down toward the villain, delivered a powerful kick, then using his unprotected right fist, made the strongest punch he ever made on Epsilon's stomach. He soon heard the bones of his right hand crack, as he found out how strong Epsilon's body actually was. It was as if he punched a wall of duranium! Even with his super strength, it was still too much.

"OUCH! OW MY HAND! MY HAND!" Boomer shouted as he clutched his hand in agony as he felt excruciating pain.

Epsilon saw that Boomer made a capital mistake, and took advantage of it. He quickly went behind Boomer, and quickly grabbed him from behind in a tight bear-hug. Boomer was thoroughly surprised. He tried breaking free, but he could not. Nor could he hit him with laser from his eyes, since he didn't have eyes at the back of his head.

"Let go of me!" Boomer shouted, thrashing against Epsilon's grip, but Epsilon was just too strong

Epsilon then began squeezing the blue ruff, slowly but surely. To make it worst, Boomer's armor protected him from direct and hard blows, but not from being slowly squeezed. Soon, he can feel the pressure of Epsilon's arms. Fortunately, the armor reduced the pressure by three-fourths, or else he'd be squeezed to death by now.

That was cold comfort to Boomer, where the pain of being crushed increased. He was soon reduced to screaming in pain, with tears falling from his eyes, as his agony was amplified.

"Stupid! Boomer, you idiot! Why the heck did you try to do such a stupid thing?" Buttercup whispered loudly, watching from her vantage point. "You had the fight in your hands, and you had to throw it all away!"

Bubbles was very very worried, and close to panic. "Buttercup, we gotta help Boomer! He's hurting!" She couldn't stand Boomer's screaming, and desperately wanted to help the boy.

"We can't," Buttercup said. "If we do, they'll kill Blossom."

"Oh right, I forgot," Bubbles said, burying her head against her sister's shoulder, unable to watch what was happening. "I guess we can't do anything but watch. But poor Boomer!"

"Well it's his fault! He shouldn't have tried punching Epsilon in the first place," Buttercup said while trying to comfort her sister. "But don't worry. I'm sure everything will turn out all right."

* * *

Meanwhile…

Brick and Butch flew as fast as they could to the base of the skyscraper, where they stopped.

"Now what?" asked Butch.

"Here's what we do, we go… Mr. Shippe!" Brick exclaimed when he saw the tall young man of twenty-two in a blue suit exit the front door of the skyscraper. "I am so glad to see you!"

"Me too, Brick, Butch," Shippe said. "And let me guess, you came here to rescue Blossom?"

"No, we came here for the beautiful sights of Citiesville! Of course we came here to rescue that girl! Why else would we come to a town full of jerks and ingrates other than to do some official business?" Butch said.

"And why aren't you watching the fight on TV?" asked Brick. "You know, the one between my brother and Epsilon?"

"I don't need to. I'll just watch the six o'clock news on ABC to find out who won. A few hours of not knowing ain't gonna make any difference to me," Mr. Shippe replied. In truth, he really did not want to see Boomer or Blossom get killed, which he knew were the most likely outcomes considering the current circumstances.

"Sir, do you know where they are keeping Blossom?" asked Brick.

"She's in the large room on the 78th floor, three floors from the very top. You remember how you saw Blossom seated between Alpha and Delta in TV? Well, that's where Blossom is right now—between the two, watching the fight on TV. She was bound with cuffs made of duranium. Ckracknow is on another couch. Be careful though, they must not see you, or they'll kill Blossom," warned Shippe. "And whatever you do, don't kill Ckracknow. He's the only one preventing them from attacking Townsville. If he dies, then they'd attack Townsville at once."

"I know," Brick replied. "Don't worry. I've got a plan. By the way, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm just taking a morning walk," replied the spy.

They then said their farewells.

"Butch, tie your handkerchief around your head and wear the supershades. We will bust in and get Blossom. Once you have her, fly home as fast as you can and have Dad remove those cuffs and then go to the battlefield and help Boomer. I'll distract Alpha and Delta," Brick ordered.

Butch just nodded. They quickly and quietly flew to the 77th floor, where they saw an open window. Seeing no one, they entered. They then sneaked up the stairs into the 78th floor. There was an open door. The two quickly hid themselves on the opposite sides of the door. They could see the backs of the heads of Blossom, Delta, Alpha and Ckracknow, all watching TV, all talking loudly.

"Go Epsilon, squeeze that son-of-a-bitch! Yeah!" Delta shouted at the TV, cheering Epsilon.

"See I told you he'd pull through," Ckracknow said.

* * *

At that moment…

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our hero Boomer Edwards is being squeezed to death! His screams, clearly heard even at this distance, indicates his agony and his pain. And it looks like Epsilon would win! Oh the humanity! Our hero is losing, and dying, and it looks like nothing will save him! This is Dan Tranz of Citiesville news, where giving news is our pleasure!" the TV announcer said.

"Well, it looks like we overestimated the intelligence of Boomer, and doubted Epsilon too early," Alpha said. "But what about the others? Don't you think they'd try to rescue carrot-top over here?"

"No. Blossom's their brains!" Ckracknow said. "They wouldn't be able to think of anything smart enough to rescue Blossom without us noticing. Relax, they know they can't do anything, and won't try anything. We got them under control!"

"Go Epsilon, squeeze the life of that son-of-a-bitch! Yeah!" Delta shouted at the TV, cheering Epsilon.

"See I told you he'd pull through," Ckracknow said

Blossom was watching the fight on TV between the two teen-agers, and was worried. 'Oh Boomer, I'm sorry! If I hadn't been so careless, you'd be safe,' Blossom thought.

Suddenly, a white, bright, blinding light enveloped the room, forcing everyone in the room to close their eyes. Ckracknow, Delta, and Alpha scrambled to get their shades. Since it was so sudden, they hadn't prepared for this, and as a result, their shades were on another room. Seconds later, Blossom felt that she was being picked up, and was flying at a fast speed. She opened her eyes, and she saw Butch was carrying her out of the building.

"Bubbles, Buttercup, Blossom's safe! Go and help Boomer, now!" Brick shouted to his watch and followed his brother.

Butch flew as fast as possible towards his house, while Brick stopped and floated just outside Citiesville. Thirty seconds later, he saw Alpha and Delta fly out of the skyscraper, with shades in their eyes. He then flew on the opposite direction of Butch and of the battle taking place.

Alpha and Delta immediately saw Brick on the edge of Citiesville the moment they left the skyscraper, and gave chase.

* * *

After three minutes of chase, above a clump of rocky hills, the leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance halted, and confronted the two teen-agers.

"Pretty sneaky of you, Brick," Alpha said. "Master Ckracknow totally underestimated you."

"You'll pay for that, you bastard!" Delta shouted.

"We'll see," Brick said. "Let's fight on the ground!"

He slowly descended, followed by the two.

The three stared at each other for a minute or so.

"That was pretty smart of you, kidnapping Blossom to ensure we don't cheat," Brick said. "But in kidnapping Blossom, you cheated first."

"Don't pull my leg. That letter you sent us reeks of deception. Unlike Harry or Master Ckracknow, I'm not foolish enough to believe you won't cheat, or to be stupid enough to rely on assurances on your part. I'm not a fool. Both of us know that Boomer would lose in a one-on-one fight with Epsilon, so I know Blossom had a trick up her sleeve. So we kidnapped her to preempt you from cheating."

"But you cheated first nonetheless," Brick said. "And it doesn't matter if we planned to cheat in the first place, because in the end, when all was said and done, you cheated first! But why trouble us with who cheated who? You're evil, so why argue? You should congratulate us on cheating, than accusing us of it!"

"Yeah, you're right. I am evil. And you were too. So why trouble us with morality? Tell me Brick, you were evil once. You know very well the joys of being bad! Why turn around and join those goody-two-shoes?" Alpha asked.

"Who says I'm a goody-two-shoes? Just because I'm not evil doesn't mean I'm a goody. No. I have my aims, and goals, and I realized that being evil would not serve to further those goals."

"Ha, even so, I don't think any goal is worth serving under Blossom, don't you think? For such a proud creature such as yourself, going from being your own master to being Blossom's servant, you were screwed."

Brick smiled. He was tempted to tell Alpha that he was really the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, but that deception was too valuable to lose. "Maybe, maybe not!"

"Join us, Brick! Go back to your evil ways, and you'll see how better it is for you and your brothers! You were evil once, so I don't see you having a problem being evil again! Join forces with us! And together, we will rule the world!"

"Do you really think that just because I was evil that I would join you? My loyalties to my father are too great for that, and however attractive your offers are, I won't do it. I'd rather die than betray my Dad, my brothers, and myself. Joining you will be demeaning to my pride, my self-esteem, and to my self-respect. No Alpha, I won't. There are far more attractive things for me than joining you and becoming evil again."

"If that is so, then enough talk. Let's fight! Delta, be ready to kill him," Alpha said. Both of them went into fighting position.

Brick got into fighting position, and waited.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Butch was carrying the still tied-up and gagged Blossom, flying fast towards their house. Since her bonds were made up of duranium, and he just can't untie her because needed a key to do it, he didn't bother to try to free her, not that he would have if he actually could. If he had his way, he would just dump her in the ground.

"Dad, dad," Butch said to his watch trying to contact his father.

No answer.

"Drats!" Butch said as he reached his house. He unceremoniously dumped Blossom on the couch.

"Dad! Professor!" he shouted.

No answer.

'They're probably too busy at the lab,' Butch thought.

He then left the house, flying at top speed towards Boomer, leaving Blossom alone, still tied-up and gagged, sitting on the couch.

'Well the nerve! I know he couldn't untie me, but he could at least have ungagged me and removed this anti-gravity belt off me!' Blossom thought. Luckily for her, the remote was on the floor, so she sat up, and used her feet to tap the remote and open the TV and change the channel so she would be able to watch the fight. She waited for the Professor and Dr. Edwards to go to the living room and discover she was there.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Buttercup was watching Boomer get squeezed, while Bubbles' head was buried against Buttercup's shoulder, unable to watch Boomer being squeezed. However, Boomer's screams of pain was just terrible, just terrible.

They wanted to help, to ease Boomer's pain, but they knew they'd be endangering Blossom's life if they did.

"Bubbles, Buttercup, Blossom's safe! Go and help Boomer, now!" Brick's voice suddenly shouted from both their watches.

"Thanks Brick," Buttercup said in the watch, but Brick already turned it off so he didn't hear it. "Blossom's safe. Now let's kick Epsilon's butt!"

"Yay!" Bubbles said. "I just hope Boomie is still okay."

Bubbles then started flying to Boomer, but Buttercup stopped her. "Wait. We should wear these things before we go."

Bubbles only nodded as both she and Buttercup tied their handkerchiefs around their heads like a cowboy, wore their caps on their heads, and wore the super shades on their eyes.

"And Bubbles, remember, never kick him or punch him. You know what happened to Boomer's hand when he punched Epsilon. Just use laser to hit him continuously. And always keep some distance between you and Epsilon. And raise the lever on your shades to two. Hit him till it hurts. And on my signal, raise it to three, four or even five!"

Bubbles nodded.

"Okay, let's go!"

Both sisters flew as fast as they could towards Epsilon. The advanced to a distance of twelve feet, then they unleashed a barrage of laser, first from their hands. then their eyes.

Epsilon was still busy tying to squeeze the life out of Boomer when a stream of laser suddenly hit his back. Not only was it annoying, it also hurt a bit.

Epsilon dropped Boomer to the ground to deal with the new threats.

"You'll be sorry for that. Master Ckracknow will kill your leader, Blossom," Epsilon shouted.

"Well, think again! Brick had just rescued Blossom, so there!" Buttercup said.

"And you'll pay for what you've done to my Boomie, and for what you did to Citiesville!" Bubbles shouted, really angry at Epsilon.

Epsilon attacked the two puffs, concentrating first on Bubbles. But he was frustrated when both girls unleashed a further barrage of laser fire at Epsilon. It hurt him like a bee sting, not really fatal or weakening by itself, but a little painful. However, he continued his advance, but then, when he was really close, both girls attacked Epsilon with laser eyes, this time magnified with twice their greatest power.

Epsilon got hit, and to his surprise, he was thrown back a little, and this time, it really hurt him. His body was full of bruises, and he was pushed back to the ground. But he was only slightly weakened. It would take a more powerful laser beam to seriously weaken the powerful Epsilon, and an even more powerful blast to kill him.

Epsilon was frustrated. He didn't expect that they would be that powerful. However, he still expected to win against such odds.

Epsilon then attacked Bubbles. Bubbles braced herself for an attack, however, ten feet away from her, Epsilon changed course and attached Buttercup from the left. Buttercup and Bubbles were utterly caught off guard. Buttercup was struck in the belly, causing her to fall to the ground. Luckily, she wasn't hurt at all because of the armored clothes. Before Epsilon could turn around and deal with a surprised Bubbles, he was struck from below.

Epsilon turned and saw Boomer with shades on. Boomer was still in pain from the broken bones in his right fist, though he fully recovered from the pain of being squeezed. Still, he had lost none of his powers, and he ignored the pain on his right hand as he confronted Epsilon again.

"Boomie, you're alright?" Bubbles said, rather happily.

"Of course! I am a Rowdyruff Boy, and the son of my father, and a few broken bones in my fist would not take me down!" Boomer shouted. He then floated to Bubbles' level, though keeping a distance to the blue puff. He was nervous, not because of Epsilon, but of Bubbles being too close.

Buttercup soon floated from the ground, and Epsilon found himself surrounded by three enemies. They then began an all out laser attack, this time, with their laser attacks magnified three times. Epsilon was hit by a barrage of continuous attack, and since he lacked any laser or ranged attacks, he was frustrated at his inability to hit back. He tried hitting one of them, but with three members attacking, it was an impossible task. And they would always keep some distance between them and Epsilon so he wouldn't have any opportunity to punch—not that it would have any effect on them considering their armor.

At that moment, Butch arrived.

"Butch! How's Blossom?" asked Bubbles.

"Oh, she's at home. She's still cuffed with duranium, so I left her at home so Dad could remove it from her. I guess you have the situation under control."

"Where's Brick?" asked Boomer.

"Oh, he's out there making a diversion so Alpha and Delta wouldn't help Epsilon over here!"

"What? Brick is alone with those two?" Boomer shouted. "Let's finish this bastard so we can help Brick! Wear your shades, and all of you, set it to lever 5 and attack him at the same time!"

Epsilon knew that he was in trouble when Butch arrived.

Boomer, Butch, Bubbles and Buttercup then stood side by side, adjusted their shades so that their power would be magnified five times their greatest power, and attacked Epsilon. The beams merged and formed a superpowerful beam.

Epsilon brought forth his powerful wrists, one of the most powerful parts of his body, and to the amazement of the four, managed to hold it off. However, it put great strain on Epsilon. Soon, they were engaged in a tug-of-war, with Epsilon trying to hold off the powerful laser attack, with the four trying to overwhelm Epsilon with the same laser attack.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Alpha attacked Brick, with Delta just watching. In a powerful move, he moved forward and gave a powerful punch to Brick's stomach. To his surprise, it hurt a lot, even though he was wearing the armor. Still, he wasn't injured, yet the pain was intense. Brick then knew he was in trouble.

Alpha followed up with a laser attack, but Brick, at the last second, jumped out of the way. Knowing he had no way of winning a one-on-one fight with Alpha, he quickly flew towards one of the hills and hid behind it.

"Look, he's hiding like the coward he is behind those hills!" Delta boasted.

Alpha destroyed the hill. Brick then jumped to another. Alpha destroyed it. Brick, in a gamble to outrun Alpha, flew behind another hill, then flew at top speed away from the area.

"He's running away. Shall we give chase, Delta?" Alpha proposed.

"With pleasure! And just to make it more fun, let's make him think he's outflying us, you know, flying slow, then we suddenly overtake him!" Delta proposed.

"I like how you think, Delta," Alpha said. Both then chased Brick, keeping a respectable distance to make Brick think that he was getting away from them.

Behind the hill "Brick" had flown from, Brick chuckled. "Suckers," he said. "Glad I remembered to bring my decoy along."

With that, he flew at the opposite direction from his decoy—toward the battle between Epsilon and Boomer, Butch, Buttercup and Bubbles.

He arrived a few minutes later, and saw that Epsilon was successfully holding off a combined laser attack of his brothers and the girls, though he was straining all his energy to do so.

Brick then adjusted the lever on his shades to five, and snuck behind Epsilon. He then attacked him, hitting him at his back with his most powerful laser attack, magnified by a factor of five, at point blank range.

Epsilon screamed at the attack on his back. His defense on his front weakened and disintegrated as a result, and the combined lasers of the four got through. It soon hit his body, pierced it, creating a wide gaping hole through it, instantly killing the strongest of the five teens. His body dropped and fell to the ground.

"Brick!" shouted Boomer happily.

"I'm glad you're okay Boomer," Brick replied.

"Not quite. I have a few broken bones in my right fist," Boomer mentions. "But nothing that Dad's medicines couldn't fix in a day."

"Let's go home," Bubbles suggested.

"Good idea," Brick said.

The others were just happy everything was alright, along with the fact that only Alpha and Delta remained.

And the five arrived home with no further incident. Alpha and Delta took their time in chasing "Brick". When they finally became serious and caught "Brick" fifteen minutes and four states later, Epsilon was already dead, and the kids had reached Townsville, which was off limits to them.


	35. Into the Lair of the Beast

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 35**

**Into the Lair of the Beast**

The City of Townsville, and the city was celebrating the defeat and death of Epsilon, which was seen live on TV. People in the streets were dancing and cheering. They still knew that total victory over Ckracknow was not theirs yet, but they knew it was within their grasp. And the fear of invasion like Ckracknow did to Citiesville totally vanished among most citizens, whose faith in their heroes increased. Even the Citiesville refugees, for the first time ever, genuinely cheered them.

The kids arrived home at about 11 in the morning, fresh from their victory. They were optimistic, and how could they not be? They've defeated three of the five, and only Alpha and Delta remained.

"Yahoo! We won!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yup! We won! Not only is Epsilon dead, but is Blossom safe, and remember your promise?" Brick said to Buttercup when they arrived.

"What promise?" Buttercup replied, feigning ignorance.

"Oh you know. We made a deal. That if I fail in any way in rescuing Blossom or killing Epsilon, I would resign the leadership and hand it over to Blossom?"

"Yeah, I did!" Buttercup snapped.

"But, if I succeeded, you will not challenge my authority to be leader ever again!"

"Huh?"

"You want me to play the tape that recorded agreeing to those?"

"Nevermind. Okay, Brick, I was wrong, you aren't that incompetent, in fact, you were amazing, and I won't challenge your authority ever again! But you're still a jerk, a bossy arrogant prick, and a miserable unpleasant boy!"

"Coming from you, I'll take those as compliments," the red ruff said, relishing the praise.

"Ouch, my hand, could somebody fix up my hand?" Boomer complained. "It still hurts like hell, you know."

Butch, Buttercup, and Brick turned to blond boy. "Dad, could you fix Boomer's hand? I think the bones were broken," Brick shouted.

But there was no answer.

"Dad? Professor Utonium?" Butch shouted.

"Butch, could you go to the lab and call Dad?"

Butch immediately did as told.

"Mpphhhh!" they suddenly heard Blossom from the couch.

"Blossom! Oh sorry, we forgot about you!" Bubbles said. "We can't remove those cuffs without Dr. Edwards or the Professor, but let me remove your gag."

"Not yet Bubbles! Let's have some fun with her!" Brick said in a mischievous mood. "Okay Blossom, I'll ask you some questions. You either say no, or I'll assume you said yes. You must clearly say no, it must be understandable, or we will assume it means yes? Do you agree?"

Of course, Blossom can't answer properly, and just grunted.

"So you agree!"

Blossom glared at him.

"Okay, are you the ugliest girl in the world?" asked Brick.

Blossom just shook her head, unable to answer.

"I guess that means yes," Buttercup said, laughing. "Let me try one. Do you wear dirty underwear? Ha I thought so!"

"Am I a better leader than you? Yes? I knew it!" Brick taunted.

"Um, do you have a crush on Brick?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom shook her head vigorously.

"Ah, since you didn't say no, it meant that you do have a crush on Brick. Blossom has a crush on Brick! Blossom has a crush on Brick! Blossom has a crush on Brick! Blossom has a crush on Brick!" Bubbles teased.

"No she does not!" Brick replied, his face red from embarrassment. "She clearly shook her head, which meant no, and…"

"But Brick, didn't you say that if she didn't say no, then it meant yes!" Bubbles replied.

"But, you see—. Ha, you know, well, oh screw this game!" Brick shouted. "Buttercup, go and ungag your sisters and…"

Both Bubbles and Buttercup just looked at the flustered redheaded boy, then each other, then collapsed in laughter.

"Brick?" Butch said, arriving from the lab downstairs.

"Well? Where is Dad?" asked an irritated, red-faced, and embarrassed Brick.

"He's not here. He left a note saying that he and the Professor left for some official business, and he won't be back until five," Butch said, and handed the note to Brick.

The rowdyruff leader quickly read the note.

"Oh great. Now we can't cut Blossom's cuffs until five and nobody would be able to fix Boomer's hand," the ruff leader said. "Now we can't train!"

"My hand, oh my hand! The pain, the pain!" Boomer whined, his left hand clutching his right.

"So who will fix Boomer's hand?" asked black haired ruff.

"I can!" Bubbles volunteered while she undid the knot of the gag at the back of Blossom's head. She then removed the bandana wrapped around Blossom's mouth and removed the saliva soaked rag from Blossom's mouth. After that, she removed the goggles from Blossom's eyes. "I know first aid."

"You sure?" asked Brick. "Are you sure you won't accidentally cut off Boomer's hand?"

"Oh silly Brick," the now pink puff said. "Bubbles is very good at it."

"Well, okay. Boomer, go with Bubbles to the medi-room. There were enough medical supplies that she can use," the red clad boy instructed.

"What? You're leaving me alone with Bubbles?" the blond boy asked. "Please, have mercy! Don't make me endure such a frightful punishment!"

"Boomer, stop being silly," Brick said. "Do you want your hand to be healed or not?"

"I want to but…"

"Then it's settled," the leader of the alliance said with finality.

"Oh, don't worry, Boomer," Bubbles assured. "I'll fix your hand and it would be back to normal in no time. Come on!" She then grabbed Boomer's left hand in an iron grip that the blue ruff, in his weakened state, was unable to pry himself from.

Brick simply snickered.

Afterwards, he went up the stairs.

"And where are you going, brother?" asked the green clad boy.

"To my room, to read some of my books, what else is there to do?" asked Brick. "And call me when the lunch I ordered arrived."

The redheaded ruff then went to their room to read some of his books. Butch just shrugged his shoulders and joined him in their room to play with his toys.

* * *

"Why the long face?" asked Butch when he arrived on their room.

"Those girls! Those annoying and icky little girls!" Brick said in contempt. "Damn it, they outwitted me at my own game, and they laughed at me! Turned my own gloating against me, you know!"

The toughest rowdyruff started laughing.

"And why the heck are you laughing? Did you come here just for the sole purpose of making fun of me? Oh, Buttercup and Blossom, those two girls I can understand, but _et_ _tu_, Butch?"

"It's just that, you, Brick, who just planned a brilliant operation that not only rescued Blossom, but rid us of Epsilon, has power all over the entire city, and who just bested Blossom in the leadership contest, got angry because Bubbles teased you?"

"Yeah, that sounds silly," Brick said, thinking. "I guess you're right. I did overreact."

"Besides," Butch said, "don't let them bother you. We all know we boys are better than them! Girls are icky, and gross, and annoying, and have cooties!"

"Yeah, but don't tell the girls that, or there will be hell to pay! Heck, I'd bet that you'd bust your eardrum after they shout to you about how boys are all stupid and stuff if you told them that!"

"I know," Butch sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder why you like Blossom…"

"I DO NOT LIKE THAT UGLY REPULSIVE ANNOYING GIRL, you fool! She's just a tool that I need so I can hold the girls better under my sway and leadership!" Brick asserted.

"Okay, no need to shout, bro! Want to play poker?"

"Got cash to lose?"

"Plenty! Not that I'll lose it!"

"We'll see!" Brick said as he began cutting the deck of cards.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Okay, here are the bandages, a bottle of betadine, a bottle of alcohol, cotton, scissors, penicillin," Bubbles said as she shifted through the cabinet in the Medi-room, "a thermometer, ice bags, slings, barometer, plaster!"

Boomer, whose left hand was finally released from Bubbles iron grip, was terrified about what Bubbles might do to him, so he tried sneaking out.

He was near the door when he felt Bubbles' warm gentle hand in his shoulder give an iron grip. "Oh no you don't! Your hand still needs to be healed! Come on!"

"But my hand is alright," the boy said.

"Really?"

"Yeah! See, no pain!"

"That's great!" the girl said. "Let's shake hands!"

She then shook his right hand.

"OUCH MY HAND! MY HAND!" Boomer shouted when Bubbles touched his hand, then began jumping around instinctively clutching his right hand, which only aggravated the pain.

"Aw, sorry, I thought you said that your hand was fully healed, but your hand isn't _that_ fully healed. Don't worry, I'll fix it so you won't feel any more pain and it'll heal!" Bubbles said as she grabbed his left hand. She then made him sit on a chair beside a table, and she laid his right arm on the table. The maddening thing about this was Bubbles was completely sincere and innocent in all her doings.

She first slowly blew on Boomer's hand, then she poured baby powder on it. She then put lotion on his hand. She then poured alcohol on it then began padding it with cotton.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing, Bubbles?"

"Of course, Boomie," Bubbles said. "Pretty soon, your hand will be healed in no time!"

She then began wrapping his hand with gauze. She then wrapped bandages over the gauze. Then she wrapped plaster and masking tape over the bandages.

She then took the bandaged hand, soaked it in a tub of water, and put a cast over the wet hand. She used her laser eyes to quickly harden it.

"Are you finished?" asked Boomer, who fidgeted at Bubbles' "first aid".

"Almost!" Bubbles said.

She then took a pink crayon and began drawing hearts and ponies and pretty dresses and flowers on the white cast.

"What? What's that for?" asked a horrified Boomer.

"Oh for decoration," Bubbles said. "White is drab. And aren't my drawings cute?"

Boomer shuddered at seeing it. Boomer then tried washing the drawings off, but it defied attempts at removal.

"You don't like it?" asked Bubbles.

"Of course I don't!" Boomer shouted. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!"

She was shocked, and tears began pouring from her eyes.

Boomer panicked. "Um, what I meant was, I hate my hand being injured, and I don't like the pain, but as for the drawings, well, they're not bad," he said. 'Yeah, they're not bad. They're absolutely horrifying!' he thought.

Bubbles quickly dried her tears. "Really? Then let's show it to the others."

"No! I think we should keep it a secret, because, um, just please, don't tell it to the others! I beg you, they'll laugh at me!"

"Well, okay," Bubbles said. "Why didn't you say so? Though I don't really think they'll laugh at you."

"Trust me they will," Boomer asserted. Boomer then took a rag and wrapped it around the cast to hide the pink drawings.

"Lunch is here!" they heard Buttercup yell.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you or anything?" asked Buttercup as soon as she and Blossom were alone in the living room.

"No they didn't," Blossom replied. "Thank God for that. And I'm all right. It's just that it's frustrating to be captive to Ckracknow for more than twelve hours, then find out that I can't be untied until five!"

"Hey, don't fret about it," Buttercup said. "You'll do fine. You remember when we assaulted Ckracknow's island, and even though you were cuffed, you still prevented me and Brick from being captured by Two. Not to mention when I punished Brick and yourself for forcing a date on Bubbles and Boomer, remember?"

"Whatever! Now could you so remove this anti-gravity belt so I could at least fly?"

"Okay," Buttercup said. Buttercup tried to remove it but she couldn't. "Uh oh! This isn't a belt made of something we could easily snap. This is an anti Gravity belt made of a metal chain fastened around your waist, and I think it's made up of duranium, and we need a key to release it. Plus, it is connected to your wrists cuffs, so you can't slip your hands under you so you can't bring your hands to the front."

"Great!" Blossom sarcastically said. "Now I'll have to hop around, or be carried around in order to move."

"Hey, at least you can still talk," Buttercup assured.

"I'm sure I'm thrilled."

And the two girls just gossiped about trivial things until lunch arrived.

* * *

Later…

About twelve, lunch arrived.

Anyway, they ate lunch, with Blossom being fed by her sisters. At this point, Brick had a smile on his face while Butch was grumbling.

"Why the happy face?" asked Boomer as he gobbled a hamburger.

"I am richer by three dollars," Brick proclaimed. "I just won a poker game!"

Butch just grumbled.

"Plus, we are closer to winning than we ever have been!" Brick continued. "Imagine, just a week or so ago, it seems as if our defeat was inevitable! Beta, Cychaela, and Delta had just beaten the snot out of Bubbles and Buttercup, Citiesville refugees were ready to revolt, Townsville looks like it might switch sides, and we were incredibly weak compared to the five teens!"

"Now look at us and our situation!" Brick proudly proclaimed. "First of all, Beta, Cychaela and Epsilon are dead, which leaves us with only Alpha and Delta to contend with. Because of the dictatorial powers over the city that the Mayor gave me, plus a little oratory on the part of Blossom and myself, we were able to surmount the crisis of the riots! Not to mention that the police finally beat into those ungrateful refugees some concept of gratitude!"

He then chomped some spaghetti and more burgers before continuing. "This is our triumph! We have done a good if not an excellent job! We must congratulate ourselves for a job well done! And I, William Bricker Edwards, am proud to have served with you, my brothers and our female counterparts. Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and above all, my brothers, Butch and Boomer, I thank each and every one of you for doing your duty, and putting up with me. Congratulations! And if I had five medals, I would have gladly given one to each and every one of you for your sacrifice, for your dedication, and for your faith in my leadership and in our cause!"

"Together, we share in the glory of our triumph. The tide has turned inexorably against our enemies! Total victory is but a matter of time! Once we draw our plans and execute it, Ckracknow and his teens cannot but yield to us, and they will drown in the sea of our greatest feat! Yes, we have suffered, and our enemies are once powerful, but remember, the greater the suffering, and the greater the enemy, the more glorious is our triumph and the greater will be our glory!" he shouted the last part.

The rest of them clapped at Brick's speechmaking, and he bowed to them in a dramatic manner, and resumed his lunch.

"Ha, I told you I was the better leader," Brick loudly whispered to Blossom, who by coincidence, was seated besides him on his left. "This proves it!"

"So? I can make an even better speech!" Blossom replied.

"Not the speech, but the operation. Guess what? Our initial plans were disrupted when you were kidnapped! Guess who made another plan to bail us out? Me! And you? Oh you were too busy playing damsel-in-distress! And I saved you! Ha! A great leader indeed! If you were the better leader, then why are you tied up right now and being spoon fed by Buttercup and me doing the victory speech?"

"This is just a temporary setback," the proud powerpuff leader snapped back. "When all is said and done, the incident of my kidnapping would only be a footnote, overshadowed by the successes of my leadership."

"Perhaps, kidnap girl, perhaps!" Brick replied with a smirk.

"Don't call me that!"

* * *

Later in the afternoon…

"Hey Brick, let's snowboard on Dad's mountain!" Butch proposed.

"Capital idea!" Boomer said.

"Yeah, that sounds fun!" Buttercup said.

The boys then dressed up in thick winter clothes and got their snow boards and skis.

The girls, except Blossom, did the same too.

"And where do you think you're going with your outfits?" asked Brick upon seeing Bubbles and Buttercup ready for fun outside.

"Silly Brick. We're going to play outside with you!" Bubbles replied.

"Oh no you're not!" Brick said.

"And why not?" asked Buttercup.

"Blossom's the reason! You need to stay here and guard her and attend to her needs. Remember, she's helpless because she's tied up!"

"Hey, I can still do my ice breath and my laser eyes!" Blossom protested.

"But why us? Why not you?" Buttercup retorted.

"Because she's your sister!" Butch simply said before he and his brothers zoomed off to the mountains to have fun.

"Screw this! I'm going to join them and have fun!" Buttercup said.

"But we're supposed to give Blossom company," Bubbles protested.

"Correction, my dear Bubbles, you're going to keep her company, I'm going to have fun in the snow!"

"But…"

But before Bubbles could say anything, Buttercup flew at top speed towards the boys leaving her in the dust.

"Oh well, it's just you and me, Blossom," Bubbles said, though she clearly wanted to join her sister and the boys. "So what do we do?"

"Let's just watch TV? What else is there to do?"

"Well, your hair is a mess, and you look horrible," Bubbles observed. "Haven't you tried washing your face or fixing yourself? Oh yeah, you can't. Don't worry, we'll fix that."

"Bubbles, I don't think that's nece—" but before she could finish, her sister carried Blossom to the lavatory in the bathroom.

The blonde girl removed Blossom's bow, and she carefully washed her sister's face, until all the sand in her eyes were removed and her face was as clean as hers and she looked fresh. She then carefully wiped the face of her sister with a towel. She then took Blossom's toothbrush, and put toothpaste on it.

"Bubbles, I don't think…"

But Bubbles proceeded nonetheless. "The professor said, always brush your teeth after eating, and all of us had already done so but you, Blossom."

"So, how do you feel?" asked Bubbles after they finished.

"Well, I feel refreshed," Blossom said. "It makes the rest of the afternoon until Dr. Edwards and the Professor arrives to remove these cuffs more bearable." She then looked at the mirror. Her hair got wet and was more dishevelled as a result of it all. "But I look ugly. Now Brick would have something on me when he teases me about being ugly."

"But we're not finished!" Bubbles said. Bubbles then carried her sister to her room and sat her on a chair in front of a big mirror on a wide stool. She saw her full body sitting, and she frowned to see her look more like a damsel-in-distress than a superhero.

Bubbles then put the mirror away. The blond girl took out a large comb from Blossom's drawers, plus another spare bow. She carefully combed Blossom's hair, and accurately fixed it the way Blossom always fixed her hair. She definitely improved ever since she made a bunny out of Blossom's hair then, with Buttercup, accidentally destroyed her hair. Finally, after a couple of minutes of hard work, Bubbles finally put the bow in place.

She then put the mirror in front of her. "So, what do you think?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom was absolutely surprised. Not only had Bubbles not messed up her hair, but it was exactly the way she herself always fixed it, including the look of the bow. "Wow, it's beautiful Bubbles! Congratulations!"

"Well, ever since I messed up your hair, I've been practicing so I wouldn't mess it up again!"

"And it paid off! Now the only thing that needs to be changed is my wrinkled clothes, but we can't do that, can we?"

"Nope," Bubbles said. "But that's the first thing we're going to do when Dr. Edwards removes those cuffs off you!"

"So what do we do?" asked Blossom.

"Want to play dolls?"

"No, you know I can't."

"Tag?"

"No!"

"Hide and Seek?"

"Bubbles!"

"Um, blind's man bluff?"

"Are you kidding?"

"Video games?"

"You know I can't!"

"Let's watch TV," Bubbles proposed.

"Well, that's the only thing I could do, so yeah," Blossom said. Bubbles then carried Blossom to the couch downstairs and both sisters watched TV while they awaited the arrival of the Professor, Dr. Edwards, Buttercup and the boys.

* * *

Earlier in the day, at about nine-thirty in the morning…

"Are you sure we should proceed with this?" asked Dr. Edwards. "I mean with Blossom in Ckracknow's hands, and Boomer in serious danger? Don't you think we should have cancelled this so we can help our kids?"

Both men are in a fast-moving helicopter heading out towards sea. Dr. Edwards was flying the thing, while the Professor sat besides him.

"I have faith in them. Time and time again, they had surmounted problems that seemed overwhelming and insurmountable without my guidance and help. I have faith in them, because they are on the side of good and because of their abilities. Besides, if you are right, William, about the importance of what we might find on our destination, then all haste should be applied so we might find out what it is. Finding it would be more of a help to our kids than interfering with their plans," John Utonium reasoned.

"I guess you're right," Dr. Edwards. "So where exactly are we going?"

"To Ckracknow's second island," Prof Utonium explained. "We're going to look for some information about those teens, like weaknesses or something, or any information we could find that we can use against them. We're going into the lair of the beast!"

"Lucky for us Mr Shippe knows where it is," said the doctor as he piloted the helicopter. "The only reason we found the first one was because we were taken there when we were kidnapped."

"I guess it was lucky that he defected to us, huh?"

"Yup! We have been pretty lucky! I guess luck favors the righteous!"

The helicopter then headed west towards the Pacific, and thirty miles off the coast of Washington state.

Like the first island, it was covered by a dome of light that made it invisible to those who did not know what to look for. To the casual observer, it was just a mass of water. Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium flew their helicopter into the supposed location of the island. They were rewarded by their efforts by crossing the invisible dome and getting sight of the island and the huge base. It was deserted.

They landed their helicopter on a flat surface and stepped on to the island.

"I think we better call the kids. Just to tell them where we are," the Professor proposed.

"Good idea," said Dr. Edwards. "Brick?" he called in his watch.

No answer.

"Butch?"

No answer.

"That's odd. I don't think it's broken. Here John, wear this," he said, giving the Professor a watch.

"Hello?" he whispered into the watch, this time calling the watch the Professor was holding.

"Hey, it works!" the Professor said as he listened to the watch. "Hm, I think that whatever invisible dome protecting the island from being seen also blocks passage of radio waves."

"True. But that still doesn't explain why we can transmit messages on the first island to the outside world, but we can't here," the Doctor wondered.

"Well, it seemed that whatever the composition of the domes, the dome here prevents radio waves, while those of the other island permits it," the Professor theorized. "Ckracknow seemed to have learned his lesson."

The two friends then proceeded to the base of a building. Dr. Edwards then produced a chain of keys from his coat, then used one of the keys to open the door.

"Where'd you get the key? Let me guess, Mr. Shippe?"

"Yup!" Dr. Edwards said. "It's a duplicate, so Ckracknow wouldn't miss it."

They entered the lab. "Okay, to save time, we'll split up," Dr. Edwards said. "We will look for the main lab of this base. Here, put this on. Press this button if you want to contact me."

"Oh so now you're giving me a watch too?" Professor Utonium said. "Bah, I'm also developing one of my own! Even better than yours!"

"My dear John, you'll always be a better scientist and inventor than me, and I am always a better businessman and leader than you could ever be. However, I'm not giving this to you. I'm only temporarily lending you this because of the extraordinary circumstances of our present situation."

They then split up to look for the main lab. After one and a half hour of looking, Dr. Edwards found a kitchen stocked with food, while the Professor found the main lab. Because it was lunch time, and both men were hungry, they decided to eat lunch first. The Professor went to the kitchen, where he demonstrated his culinary skills to his friend.

One hour later, at about one, they went to the main lab. They searched the computer for information on the teens, and what they found was so huge and so complete that they couldn't possibly digest all the information contained therein in one sitting. Fortunately, Dr. Edwards and the Professor each brought three laptops, so they were able to copy all the information on it. It took one and a half hours.

* * *

It was two-thirty…

"Wow. I'm glad that's over!" Dr. Edwards said. "So, want to explore the rest of the base?"

"Nah, let's go home. I'm worried about the kids," the Professor said.

"Aw come on! We left a note! We don't have to go home till five! As you said yourself, they can take care of themselves!" Dr. Edwards argued. "And we can have some fun exploring the rest of this lab!"

"I'm not so sure…" the Professor said. "I'm curious about the result of the battle."

"Oh fine! Let's go home! We'll go back here some other time," Dr. Edwards conceded. "I can't wait to hear how they kicked Ckracknow's ass."

So they went home.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Ckracknow was staring at the TV. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. He had just witnessed the unbelievable but inescapable fact of the death of Epsilon.

"Goddamnit!" Ckracknow shouted. "We are such idiots!"

"Sir," Alpha said as they arrived.

"Well, did you retrieve Blossom?" asked Ckracknow.

"Sorry sir. Brick tricked us with a decoy," Alpha confessed.

"Imbeciles!" Ckracknow shouted. "Epsilon is dead…"

"He's dead? He can't be…" Delta said.

"Well, do you want me to replay the tape where he was killed? I just saw it and taped the entire thing!"

"I'm sorry…"

"No. Don't be sorry," Ckracknow continued. "All of us underestimated them. Who knew they could be so powerful? Who knew that they could take Epsilon's punch like it was nothing? And did you see those powerful lasers they got there? It was super! They ripped through Epsilon like he was Swiss cheese! Ya' hear me, swiss cheese! Harry got it wrong. Not only do they think they can take us on, they actually could! And they're sneaky bastards! They lied to me, told me it's a one on one fight! Bastards! Damn sneaky bastards!"

"They're not that good, sir," Alpha added.

"Now that I have seen what happened to Epsilon, it becomes imperative that we find Beta and Cychaela—"

"But sir, if they can kill Epsilon, don't you think that they might have killed Beta and Cychaela too?" Alpha suggested.

"No. They are missing! I will not accept that they are dead until I see their bodies. No, they are not dead! Not until I say so!" Ckracknow ranted. "Besides, if they are dead, then those kids would broadcast it to the whole world like they did Epsilon's death!"

"So what do we do?"

"Well, it seems the gap between your power and their power is smaller than we initially thought. They can defeat us, so we must be as sneaky as they are. Now, what weakness do we know? Well, they are helpless if wrapped with duranium. So I want you to go to Townsville and…"

"At last! We're going to attack Townsville!" Delta enthusiastically said.

"Idiots! How many times do I have to repeat that under no circumstance do we attack Townsville?"

"So what are we going to do in Townsville?" asked Alpha.

"Kidnap Blossom!"

"But we already did that, and it didn't work," Alpha argued.

"That's because we didn't guard her well enough. Notice that they didn't dare cheat till they had rescued Blossom? If we had guarded her better, this day might have ended in triumph, but no! Because we let those boys rescue their leader, that's why! Do you think that they would have won if they didn't get Blossom? No! Of course not! Besides, they would be paralyzed once they lose their brains! And they wouldn't be able to do anything smart."

"But they did rescue Blossom before," Alpha countered.

"That event is more of a tribute to our incompetence than their brilliance! It is indeed a shame that we were unable to stop such a simple escape plan that any idiot can think of! With Blossom in our hands, they would be paralyzed! We would easily outsmart them and crush them in the process! Muahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"But Brick is as smart as Blossom," Alpha argued.

"Phooey! Blossom is infinitely smarter than Brick. Brick has an average mind, and when he is in a situation that requires a brilliant mind, he will be out of his wits. He isn't smart enough to think of making complicated plans. Bah! Brick is highly overrated! No, once we have Blossom, they will lose their brains, they would be without a competent leader, and we can play the rest of them like a piper!"

"So we go there immediately?" asked Delta.

"No. Make a four-hour search for Beta and Cychaela. If you fail, then immediately go to their house. Proceed with extreme caution. Don't let yourselves be seen, and if possible, kidnap her without any of the others knowing. Don't kill anyone. Don't destroy anything. Just take her. And no one else. And don't hurt her or anything. Just restrain her, okay? Are my instructions clear?"

"Yes sir," Alpha said.

"Now go!"

Both teen-agers then scrambled to do their orders.

* * *

Later, at four in the afternoon…

Alpha and Delta were walking on the suburbs. They were wearing thick winter clothes, and their faces were covered with scarves and caps. To any casual observer, they just looked like two ordinary teen-age boys walking. They casually walked to the Edwards' house, and peeked through the window.

They saw Blossom, still cuffed hand and foot and wearing the anti-gravity belt, watching TV. Sitting besides her was Bubbles.

"Guess we won't be needing the cuffs we brought. Kidnapping her would be a cinch," Delta whispered.

"What a stroke of luck! We only need to gag her again and put the goggles on her eyes and then we can carry her off," Alpha agreed. "Now, we have to think of a way to get Blossom alone."

"Alpha, look! It's their old man!" Delta said, pointing at an approaching

Indeed, they saw Dr. Edwards driving a car towards them, with the Professor at his side in the front seat. From Ckracknow's second island, they flew the helicopter to Edtech Corp. HQ. From there, they drove home.

"Why can't we just kill them here?" Delta questioned.

"Because we were ordered not to kill anyone, and by anyone, it includes them! Our sole objective is Blossom!"

"This sucks!" Delta commented.

"I know. Let's hide," Alpha suggested, and the two, in a blink of an eye, ran and hid at the back of the house. They waited until the two men entered the house, and they ran to the front and peeked.

* * *

"Professor!" Bubbles shouted.

"Blossom! I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried when I saw you in their clutches!" John said as he tightly hugged his bound daughter.

"Professor! I'm glad I'm here but could you remove these annoying cuffs off me?" Blossom asked as she was hugged.

"Hm, let me see. Oh that's easy. John and I are going to the lab to set up the equipment. It'll take a while, so you and Bubbles stay here until we call you, in let's say, about fifteen minutes or so," Dr. Edwards said.

"Thanks. And please hurry! I really wanted to get out of these things," Blossom said.

"Don't worry Blossom, we'll do our best for my little angel," Prof Utonium said before kissing his daughter in the cheek.

So the Professor and Dr. Edwards went to the lab to prepare the equipment. Blossom and Bubbles continued to watch TV while they waited for the Professor to call them.

* * *

Four minutes later…

"Blossom, I really need to go to the bathroom. Don't worry, I won't be long," Bubbles hurriedly said before she ran towards the bathroom, leaving Blossom alone.

"This is perfect!" Alpha exclaimed. "She's alone. Now's our chance. I'll grab her, put this sock on her mouth, then cover her mouth with duct tape, while you put this goggles on her eyes, then we fly like hell towards Citiesville, okay?"

"Right! Look, it's Butch!" Delta warned.

"Damn!" Alpha said as he saw the green ruff flying home.

Both teen-agers then ran towards the back of the house.

Butch saw them, but he just assumed they were ordinary teen-agers. "Stupid teen-agers," Butch muttered to himself, then forgot about it.

Butch opened the door and flew upstairs ignoring Blossom, who ignored him in turn. He took five pairs of ice skates, then flew back to his brothers. In fact, he was so eager to go back that he forgot to close the door.

"Butch, don't forget to close the do… nevermind," Blossom said. "Grrr… it's cold," Blossom remarked as the cold wind blew inside the house. "Better close it."

Blossom then hopped towards the door to close it, but as soon as she reached it, Alpha suddenly grabbed her. She was so surprised that Alpha had no problem gagging her and Delta had no problem putting on the goggles. They then wrapped her in a thick blanket so she wouldn't freeze then closed the door.

They then flew as fast as they could towards Citiesville. Both teens couldn't believe their luck. The other kids were too busy having fun to notice two teens flying at top speed nearby.

* * *

A minute later…

"Blossom, what did I miss?" Bubbles asked as she strolled to the living room from the bathroom. "Blossom?"

'Where is she?' the blond thought. 'I know! She's at the lab and Dr. Edwards is removing her cuffs! Well, since Blossom doesn't need me anymore, I might as well join the others!'

She then happily went to their room, wore her thick clothes, took her snowboard, her skis, and her ice skates, made a note for the Professor, and flew to find the others.

She found them skating in the frozen lake.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey, aren't you supposed to guard Blossom?" asked Buttercup.

"Nah! The Professor and Dr. Edwards arrived, and they are removing Blossom's cuffs," Bubbles explained.

"And Boomer, how's your hand?" asked Brick.

"Well, it's not hurting anymore. I think it's healed, but Dad would have to check on them first," Boomer said.

"See, I told you I can fix it," Bubbles said.

"Finally. We can finally train," Brick said.

They were all blissfully unaware of what really happened to Blossom.


	36. Blossom's Predicament

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 36 **

**Blossom's Predicament**

The City of Townsville, and Blossom had just been kidnapped—again.

"Blossom!" Professor Utonium called. "Bubbles! The equipment to remove the cuffs are ready!"

But both scientists in the lab heard no answer.

"Bubbles, go carry your sister and fly over here! Blossom, hurry! Don't you want those cuffs removed?" Dr. Edwards shouted.

Still, there was no answer.

"Let's go upstairs. Maybe they can't hear us?" the Professor suggested.

"Good idea."

"Bubbles? Blossom?" asked the Professor when they reached the living room.

"Oh those two are going to be in big trouble! They left the TV on with no one watching!" the doctor said.

"Maybe they're upstairs…Wait, no. What's this? Hmmm. It's a note from Bubbles. She wrote, 'Have gone to play outside—Bubbles'," the Doctor said as he picked up a piece of paper on the table.

"What? Blossom is still tied-up! She can't play out in the snow with those cuffs on!" the Professor indignantly said as he grabbed the note.

"Let's call them," the doctor proposed. "Bubbles. This is Dr. Edwards. Why did you bring Blossom out there?"

"Um, Dr. Edwards, Professor, wasn't Blossom with you?"

"No," Professor Utonium said. "She isn't with us."

"What? I went to the bathroom, and when I came back to the living room, she wasn't there, so I thought she was with you."

"Bubbles, I want you, your sister, and the boys here, pronto!" Dr. Edwards ordered.

* * *

Outside…

"Um, guys, we need to go home. Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium are calling us," Bubbles said.

"Ah finally! We can train!" Brick exclaimed. "Okay. Get your stuff and let's go home."

"Aw! I want to play!" Butch whined.

"We can do that later, dolt!" Boomer snapped.

"Yeah, well at least I'm not a crybaby," Butch replied.

"Will you two shut up! Let's go home! I can't wait to tease that girl!" Brick said.

The kids flew back home, and were confronted by two grim faced men.

"Bubbles, when I arrived here, Blossom is gone. And you're telling me, she wasn't with you?" asked the Professor.

"Uh huh," Bubbles said.

"So where the hell did Blossom go? She couldn't go anywhere tied up you know," Dr. Edwards asked.

"I beg to differ," Buttercup said. "We once tied up Blossom when playing, and she was able to hop up the stairs and into the room and hide under the bed."

"But that's ludicrous!" Brick said. "But why the heck would she do such a thing, hide, when she clearly wants out of those cuffs?"

"Hey, it could happen," Buttercup said. "Why else would she disappear?"

"Dad, Professor, we'll take care of this. We'll call you when we find her," Brick, who didn't think this was really serious, said.

"Hm, I don't know. I think it's better if we help you kids," Dr. Edwards said.

"Doctor, Professor, trust us! We know what we're doing. And we'll call you if we need your help," Buttercup argued.

"Yeah Dad, don't' you trust us?" Boomer asked.

"Well okay," the Doctor said. "John and I will be at the lab. Call us if you have any news of Blossom, okay."

"But William, we should, you know, because my daughter, Blossom is—"

"Come on John. I think it's better that we leave them to their devices. Don't worry. If they need our help, they'll ask us for it," Dr. Edwards said, dragging his friend to the lab. "Have faith in them."

"I hope you're right. It's just that I'm too worried about Blossom and—"

"I know. I'm worried about her too."

"By the way Dad, what time did you go up here and found Blossom missing?" asked the redheaded ruff.

"4:20. Why?"

"Just asking."

"Anything else?"

"Not at the moment."

"Just call us if you need us okay?" the Professor said.

"We'll do!" Butch replied.

* * *

"I still think Blossom hid herself somewhere in the house!" Buttercup asserted.

"In the words of my brother, that's ludicrous!" Butch said. "She's tied up, how the hell could she hide?"

"Well, remember when Bubbles and I kidnapped both Brick and Blossom for forcing Boomer and Bubbles on a date? She actually hopped up the stairs, went to our room, hid under the bed, then went back downstairs before we caught her—all while she's tied up hand and foot and wearing that gravity belt. Remember that Brick? I still have those pictures that I took of you if you don't remember," Buttercup reminded.

"Don't remind me. I shudder at the memory," Brick said after remembering all those embarrassing pictures, some of which were still in Buttercup's hands.

"What pictures?" asked a still ignorant Butch.

"That's none of your business," Brick snapped.

"But why the heck would she do such a thing?" Boomer asked.

"I dunno. Maybe a prank?" the raven haired girl replied.

"Nevermind. Okay, Bubbles, Boomer, you search the basement and the lab. Buttercup, you search this floor. I'll search upstairs. And leave no stone unturned. Search everywhere she could hop to! Every room and every drawer and every closet where she could hop into and fit!"

* * *

Five minutes later and they found nothing.

"Well so much for your theory, Buttercup. Now for mine. Butch, what time did you arrive in the house when you went to get the skates?" Brick asked.

"About 4:10."

"And did you see Blossom?"

"Heck yes. She was alone in the living room."

"Okay Bubbles, what time did you leave Blossom?"

"Well, I went to the bathroom about 4:09, and I went back about 4:13!"

"Aha! Maybe you, Butch, hid her!" Brick said, accusing his brother.

"Me? Would I do such a thing?"

"Oh I don't know, Butch! As recently as a few days ago, you and Boomer left us tied up when the Professor and Dr Edwards gave you those super shades!" Buttercup said.

"Well, yeah, I could have done it, and I would have done it, but that doesn't mean I did it? Why would I do it?"

"The same reason we would have done in any other day—to pull a prank and have some fun at the expense of the girls!" Boomer said.

"But honestly, I didn't do it! Heck, I don't like the girl, and I'd have done it any other time, but not this day! I was having fun in the mountains snowboarding for crying out loud! Why would I do it?"

"Like when you and Boomer said they were busy when I asked where the girls were when they failed to show up?" Brick said to Butch. "How do I know you're not lying and pulling another prank at Blossom?"

"Honest! I didn't do it! Look, I've never lied about anything this serious, and if you have pressed me further on that day, I would have told the truth!" Butch countered.

However, the looks on the rest of them said that they didn't believe him.

"Honest! I didn't play a prank or kidnapped anybody this day!" Butch protested.

"So if not you, who else?"

"Maybe Alpha and Delta did it, you know! They did it before, so why wouldn't they do it again?" Butch argued.

"That's ludicrous!" Buttercup said. "They know kidnapping Blossom failed, so why would they do it again?"

"Yeah! Besides, there are no upcoming fights between any of us, so they wouldn't need a hostage to insure that we don't cheat," Boomer added.

"And they would have figured out by now that kidnapping Blossom would do no good for them, since her last rescue demonstrated that since she isn't the only brains of this outfit, we wouldn't be paralyzed without her. Instead, they would've kidnapped me, 'cause by now, in spite of our deception, it would be evident that I, not Blossom, am the leader. It wouldn't make any sense that they kidnap our second-in-command, would it?"

"Besides, even if they did try to kidnap Blossom, they couldn't have!" Brick continued.

"And why is that?" his black haired brother countered.

"Because, during the only time that Blossom was alone was for about five minutes, from 4:10, when Butch left the house, and 4:13, when Bubbles returned from the bathroom. That's three minutes in which she was alone, and the only time when she could have been kidnapped," Brick reasoned. "Three minutes! Three freakin' minutes? And those kidnappers show up in those three? That's a freakin' coincidence if you ask me! Those teen-agers would have to be incredibly lucky to arrive here at precisely those three minutes. If they hang around the house for more than ten minutes, they'd be detected because of the security system of this backyard. So they have to arrive at least at four in the afternoon at the earliest. And they have no way of knowing that during that time, Blossom will be alone during this period because I am sure that they wouldn't know that Bubbles will need to go to the bathroom at exactly 4:09! So it could only happen if they happen to be incredibly lucky! And such luck doesn't exist! It's too improbable! You see where I'm going?"

"Well, it could happen!" Buttercup countered. "Improbable is not impossible, and no matter how far fetched, it still could happen."

"But it didn't! And it couldn't happen," Brick replied. "You see, there are no signs of kidnapping. There are no broken furniture, no signs of struggle, no nothing! Besides, the door has an automatic lock. Aside from the regular key, it has an identification system, by which anyone who was not programmed into the house's database can't open the door even when it's not locked. Dad, the Professor, me and my brothers, you and your sisters, Ms. Keane, Ms. Bellum, Mr. Clark, Mr. Shippe, and a couple of others have been registered on the data base of the computer controlling this house hence the door, and it certainly does not include Mr. Ckracknow, Alpha and Delta! Furthermore, even in the event that Dad forgot to close the door, there are infared rays that scan the house, and would give alarm if any unidentified person would enter three feet into the house. Not only would the door have to be wide open, but Blossom would have to be standing right by that open door, even while she's tied-up, for those teen-agers to be able to kidnap her without setting off any alarm! That would be a lot of coincidences that they wouldn't even know about in the first place. Nobody can be that lucky, you know! Gimme a break!"

"Well, yeah, it sounds crazy, but still, it could happen!"

"Only if you left the door open and Blossom hopped to it. Well, Bubbles, did you open the door?" Brick asked.

"No."

"How about you, Butch, did you close the door when you left?"

"Um, I don't recall."

"Great! Really great!" Buttercup sarcastically said.

"Well, the door was closed when I came from the bathroom, so I guess he did close the door."

"Well, case close!" Brick said. "Those teen-agers couldn't have taken Blossom! So that leaves only you, Butch! Okay, cough it up! We know that we like to play these tie-up games, but play time is over. Where did you keep her?"

"I didn't do it!"

"If not you, then who?" Brick asked.

"Maybe Bubbles did! Okay, that's far fetched. She would never have done so. But still! Blossom was still watching TV when I left the house! So maybe, Bubbles hid her so she can go play with us!"

"Hey, I wouldn't do that!" Bubbles said.

"Really?" Butch teased.

"This is ridiculous! This is Bubbles for crying out loud! She does not lie! And she couldn't if she tried! She's too sweet and innocent for that. She wouldn't do so!" Boomer said, defending Bubbles.

"Thanks Boomer," the blonde puff said.

"Well, it's her word against mine, and you can't prove she didn't do it!" Butch said.

"So we narrowed it down to Bubbles and Butch. I personally believe that Bubbles couldn't do such a thing, but heck, the evidence points to Butch and Bubbles equally!"

"Why don't we just search the entire house? Bubbles, Butch would stay here, guarded by one of us, while the remaining two will search the house thoroughly," Boomer proposed.

"Okay. I'll guard the two. You, Boomer, and you Buttercup, search every room and every nook and cranny where she could have been hidden, from the highest place in the attic to the deepest crevice in the basement. Now go!" Brick ordered.

Both Buttercup and Boomer did as told, and ten minutes later, returned, having found nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, at about 4:30 p.m…

"Mission accomplished, sir," Alpha reported, presenting Blossom, cuffed hand and foot, and gagged, before Ckracknow and Harry Shippe in his office in his skyscraper. "Could you believe, Blossom was still tied-up when we caught her?"

"Yup! And the funny thing is, the door was wide open, and she actually hopped to the door while she was alone," Delta added.

"You have been blessed with the best of luck, haven't you? If what you say is true, then our enemies would have no idea she's ours," Ckracknow said.

"So what do we do with her? Kill her?" Delta asked.

"Oh no! Come here. I have prepared a special rescue-proof room for our little captive," Ckracknow said. "Follow me."

'Great! What's in me that kept getting me kidnapped? First by Mojo, then by the boys when we were still enemies, then by Buttercup, then by both my sisters when they were playing, then by the boys again, then by Ckracknow twice!' Blossom thought. 'I hate this. I should be the one making the rescue instead of playing damsel-in-distress,' Blossom thought as she was being carried by Alpha while following Ckracknow and Harry. 'And it looks like they would have a harder time rescuing me this time.'

They walked to the 57th floor, where they opened a metallic door using numbers punched on a keypad besides the door. "You see, this is a room made entirely of duranium," Ckracknow said as they entered a metallic corridor. They then were presented with another metallic door with a numeric keypad at its side. Ckracknow opened the door after punching some numbers. They were greeted by another corridor. Crisscrossing the room were red laser beams. Ckracknow punched a couple of numbers on another keypad besides the door they just entered, and the laser beams disappeared. When they reached the door on the other side of the corridor, Ckracknow punched a couple of numbers, then the door opened and revealed another corridor with laser crisscrossing the room and another door at the end of the corridor with another keypad. They went through the same procedure five times. Finally, the last door revealed a room with a bed, a table with food on it, a TV, a bathroom, a vent, and a chair.

"Put her on the chair, and remove her gag," Ckracknow ordered. "Blossom, it would be well advised that you won't use your ice breath when that gag is gone, as you can't escape, and it would only result in pain for you."

Blossom only nodded as Delta removed the six strips of duct tape crisscrossing Blossom's lower mouth. After which he pulled the large saliva soaked sock from her mouth.

"Why did you kidnap me?" Blossom asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You're the leader, and getting you will paralyze the group!" Ckracknow said. "Plus, Brick and Butch made a fool of me when they rescued you from right under our noses. It's a matter of revenge. Harry, go and feed our captive."

"Please, water first. My mouth is dry from the gag," Blossom asked.

Harry complied as he helped Blossom drink from the cup of water besides her. He then spoon fed her with the chicken, and the vegetables that was present. She was hungry and after ten minutes, finished everything.

"You are going to untie me, aren't you? I mean this place is duranium, and I couldn't escape even if my hands and feet are free. Please. My hands have been tied up continuously for nearly twenty-four hours, and I need to stretch," Blossom pleaded.

"Perhaps. But since your sisters and the boys cheated at Epsilon's fight, I won't give you the privilege. No, those cuffs will remain until the end of your captivity. Gag her," Ckracknow ordered.

"No, not another gag, pleammmpphhhh…"

Delta inserted a clean white rag into Blossom's mouth despite her pleas. The cloth was so large that when it was inserted, Blossom mouth was bulging. He then wrapped around Blossom's open mouth and head a long piece of bandage, knotting it after several curls, keeping the rag in her mouth. He then ducttaped the bandage to her face. He then took a large scarf, and tied it around Blossom's mouth twice, knotting it tightly around her head.

Blossom screamed as loud as she could, but the she could barely hear herself as only a faint sound penetrated the layers of gag.

After that, they placed Blossom on the bed lying on her stomach, and hogtied her by connecting the cuffs in her wrists with the cuffs on her ankles with a short duranium chain, keeping her knees bent backwards and her ankles able to go only a couple of inches from her wrists at her back.

"Of course, if I untie you, smart as you are, you'd find a way to open all this doors and escape, and I can't let that happen," Ckracknow said.

They then left, putting off the light, then closed the duranium door, shrouding Blossom in darkness.

Blossom just closed her eyes, still defiant, her sole hope that the others would rescue her.

* * *

After the two men and two teen-agers navigated their way into the corridors and duranium doors and were out of the prison, Ckracknow revealed to his colleagues his plans.

"You see boys, the rest of them will quickly figure out what happened, and will attempt another rescue. But when they arrive, they will have to find the where Blossom is. And even if they figure out where Blossom is, they would have to know the codes to be able to open the door, as destroying it would not work as it is made of duranium. Anyway, in half an hour, this entire building outside of our rooms will be filled with sleeping gas. We will, of course, have our gas masks by our side, and we'll wear it whenever we go out of our rooms, okay?"

"Yes sir," said the other three simultaneously.

"Good. Plus, if they did manage to enter the duranium corridor with us not knowing, then the laser would promptly alert us, and permanently lock the doors and freeze the codes until I opened it with my emergency codes. And the corridors themselves are filled with sleeping gas. So sooner or later, whoever will attempt to make a rescue would themselves be caught in our web," Ckracknow said.

* * *

Later, at about six in the evening…

The five kids still haven't figured out what happened to Blossom. They couldn't believe that Blossom had been kidnapped by the teen-agers, since all evidence points out the impossibility and the improbability of it. But the other possibilities seemed just as impossible and as improbable. They searched the house six times, and found nothing.

At this moment, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," a disappointed and obviously frustrated Brick said. "Hello."

"It's me, Mr. Shippe."

"How are you, Mr. Shippe?" Brick greeted.

"Listen, Brick, I ain't got much time. Ckracknow, as you know, got Blossom—"

"What, Blossom was kidnapped by those teens-again? But how? It can't be. I mean—" Brick said, hardly believing his ears.

"Listen. An hour ago, I saw her tied up. I ungagged her, fed her and such. I don't know how they did it, but they got her," Harry Shippe said. "Now do you believe me?"

"Yeah," Brick said.

"Okay. Remember this. The entire building, except our rooms, has sleeping gas. There isn't any color, it's like air, you won't smell anything different, and you'd only know you inhaled sleeping gas when you feel drowsy two seconds before you pass out. Bring ordinary gas masks, since that will negate the effects of the gas," Shippe said. "You still listening, Brick?"

"Yes," an embarrassed Brick said.

Mr. Shippe then told him about Blossom's location and description of the Blossom's prison on the 57th floor, including the gas inside, the red lasers crisscrossing the corridors, and the duranium composition of the prison and corridors.

"What about the codes? The codes of the doors and the laser?" asked Brick.

"Oh yeah. It's rather long and complicated," said Mr. Shippe. "I wrote the instructions on how to safely navigate the corridors and the codes of all the keypads in the prison so you can reach Blossom, and the instructions on how to get out of the prison without letting anyone know, and emailed it to you. Check your email, Brick, and print it. And carry it with you when you rescue Blossom."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Oh yeah. Ckracknow expects you to rescue Blossom some time tonight. I advise you to go and do the rescue at about one to two in the morning, since Ckracknow, Alpha, Delta and myself would be asleep at that time. Nobody would be expecting an attack at that hour. Plus the fact that they aren't very alert since everyone expects that all the precautions they made will alert them. In fact, you wouldn't have a chance if I didn't make this call. Anyway, good luck!"

Brick was stunned at the information he received. In a few minutes, it crumbled his theories about Ckracknow not kidnapping Blossom to dust. But he was relieved that he actually knew what happened to his counterpart, and was equally thankful that Shippe ratted out his master.

"Dad, Professor, Bubbles, Buttercup, Butch, Boomer, I have found out where Blossom is," Brick shouted at the top of his voice.

* * *

It took thirty seconds for the rest of the kids to come to the living room where Brick was, and another five minutes for the two men to come.

"Well?" asked his father.

Brick was nervous, embarrassed to be wrong. "Harry Shippe called. Blossom was kidnapped by Ckracknow!"

"Ha, you're wrong! You're wrong! I'm right! Ha, Brick! You owe me an apology!" Butch said.

"Apology for what?" asked Dr. Edwards asked.

"Well, he blamed Bubbles and me for Blossom's disappearance!"

"Yeah Brick, you owe us an apology," Bubbles demanded.

"Okay, so I was wrong, and it's my fault for blaming both of you, and I shouldn't have dismissed the possibility of Blossom being kidnapped by Ckracknow, but I repeat, I will not apologize for my mistakes and I will not say sorry!"

"And why not?" asked his father.

"Well, isn't it enough that I admitted I was wrong, and that I took responsibility for it? Me giving an apology is just too much. No, I am not sorry that I accused them of it!"

"No it's not. You should apologize because it's the right thing to do!" Buttercup said. "Face it, you're wrong. You know it. So why not end it and say you're sorry?"

"Because I'm not. Look, it's just a mistake, and all leaders make such mistakes, and I am not perfect. So I will not apologize for making a mistake. So there!" Brick said. "I will not grovel before you begging for you forgiveness. Nope, it won't happen!"

"Brick, I'm afraid I'm with Butch and the girls on this. Making a mistake in judgment and accusing Bubbles and Butch of kidnapping Blossom are two very different things. Please apologize to them," Boomer said.

"Et tu, Boomer. No, I will not apologize!" he shouted at the other four kids. "I admitted I was wrong, and that is enough. Now we can go on to the business of rescuing Blossom? Okay, first of all, Blossom is…"

"You must say sorry first Brick, before we can proceed with anything else," Butch said. "Didn't you know that I was hurt by your accusation? I'm your brother for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, me too," Bubbles said.

"Brick, I think you should apologize," Dr. Edwards. "Admitting your mistakes is all very well and good, but in this case, you need to say you're sorry, because you accused them of something they didn't do."

"But Dad, I can't. I won't!" Brick said. "I will not say!"

"BRICK, APOLOGIZE NOW BEFORE YOU MAKE ME REALLY ANGRY!" Dr. Edwards suddenly shouted at the top of his voice, terrifying all the kids, especially Brick, but also the girls, who for the first time ever, saw Dr. Edwards's explosive temper. His eyes were burning with rage, his breathing heavy, and his face frightening to look at. Butch and Boomer, even though they were not the subject to their father's temper, shook in terror. But Brick was the worst off. He was positively shaken to the core. "HAVEN'T YOU LEARNED, BOY, THAT YOU MUST NEVER COMPROMISE YOUR POSITION AS LEADER BY BLIND PRIDE, WHICH YOU ALREADY DID? BESIDES, WHAT YOU DID WAS WRONG, SO APOLOGIZE! YOU'RE THE LEADER! ACT LIKE ONE! OR DO I HAVE TO SPANK YOU, BRAT, TO FORCE YOU TO?"

Tears dropped from Brick's eyes as his very soul was shaken by his father's words. He quickly dried his eyes before anyone could notice. Those painful words struck deeply into him, as it goes to the very premise of his abilities as leader, something in which Brick was very proud of and which he flaunted at his father with pride.

"O-o-o-o-k-k-k-k-kay Dad, I wa-wa-was wrong," he stuttered, unable to speak a coherent sentence because his mouth was shaking. "Butch, Bubbles, I'm sorry for falsely accusing you of causing Blossom's disappearance. Please forgive me. I'm very sorry, really, I am," Brick pleaded, looking at the ground, unable to see the look on his brother's face.

"Now Butch," his father said, "accept his apology."

Butch felt sorry for Brick, but felt that Brick deserves it. "Yes Dad," Butch said. "Brother, I accept your apology."

"And don't cry, Brick," Bubbles said. "I accept your apology too. See, it would be easier if you just said sorry in the first place."

"I AM NOT CRYING!" Brick lashed out, "but thanks anyway, Bubbles."

"I hope you learned a lesson, from this Brick," Dr. Edwards said.

"I did."

"Good. I expect this incident won't be repeated. Brick, I'm glad you apologized, since this proves that you are a good leader," Dr. Edwards said with a calm voice. "Now that this apology business has been taken care of, Brick, tell us what else we need to know about Blossom's kidnapping."

Brick, his confidence going back after he was forced to apologize, then told the rest of them what Harry told him by phone.

"So we're going to have to rescue Blossom early in the morning?" asked his father.

"Yes Dad. At that time, they'll be asleep, and they'll be relying on the gas and the alarms to tip them off if we attempted another rescue," Brick said. "So what do we do?"

"Why ask me Brick? Do you have an idea?" his father replied.

"Well, yes, but I think you should—"

"Then off with it boy! Just because I scolded you doesn't mean that you can't make decisions for the group," Dr. Edwards said. "I only want to have Blossom safe and sound, and I'm leaving to you kids the details on how to do it. You have done well in the past, and I have faith that you can deliver again without our advice."

The Professor and the others during this time just watched the drama between the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys and his father.

"Well, first of all, I think only two of us should go and rescue Blossom. We need to make the rescue as discreet as possible so we won't attract any unwanted attention. It is imperative that Ckracknow, Delta, and Alpha would not wake up, or if they are already awake, not be aware of our presence while we attempt the rescue. Thank God that Harry gave us all that we need to know to successfully stage the rescue. Now, those two who will rescue Blossom will be my brothers, Boomer and Butch."

"Hey, why us?" Butch whined.

"Yeah! I want to rescue Blossom," Bubbles whined.

"Because I said so, and I am the leader of this Alliance," Brick asserted. "Anyway, why not them?"

"Okay, I'll go," Butch finally said. "You're still our leader, and I respect that."

"Me too! You know you can depend on me!" Boomer enthusiastically said.

The loyalty of Butch and Boomer to Brick, however strained, remained unchanged by this incident. Bubbles just assumed that Brick's apology was sincere, and her respect remained undiminished. Buttercup, however, was a different story. Her respect of the leader plunged, though there was enough left to enable Buttercup to follow Brick's orders.

But it could not hide the fact that Brick hit a new low in his reputation among the members of the alliance.

After that, Brick printed the email sent by Mr. Shippe, making ten copies all in all.

They then spent the time until dinner talking among themselves. After which, Buttercup spent the night mocking Brick for his mistakes and his humiliation, while Boomer, and amazingly, Butch, defended their brother against the green clad puff, while Bubbles just watched TV, avoiding the conflict. Brick just sulked in a corner, deep in thought.

After dinner, the boys told the girls and the men to sleep, because tomorrow, when they woke up, Blossom would be alright.

* * *

It was one in the morning, on the 23rd of December…

Brick saw his watch, and stretched from his bed. Even though he was still in a bad mood, he was filled with energy at the prospect of Blossom's rescue, with a chance to regain his prestige that he had lost earlier in the night. He, still in his pyjamas, sneaked to Butch's room, and woke him up. The still groggy and sleepy Butch made petty complaints, but nonetheless woke up, dressing up in his green clothes. Both of them then went to Boomer's room, where they sneaked up on him and pounced on him and tickled him to wake him up. Boomer complained, but he too woke up and dressed. All three boys knew they had a mission—to rescue the pink clad leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

After Boomer and Butch were fully dressed and fully awake, Brick directed them to go to his room.

"Okay, here are the instructions on how to go to Blossom's cell, with the number codes needed to open the duranium doors, and to remove the laser beams to disable security. Follow the instructions to the letter, and you should be fine," Brick said.

"Thanks Brick," Butch said.

"You're not mad at me for accusing you of Blossom's disappearance, and me refusing to apologize till Dad shouted at me, are you?" Brick asked.

"Nope. After all, you apologized in the end, and that's all that matters. You're my brother after all. Besides, I can't stand Buttercup mocking you. She doesn't have the right. Only I have the right to mock you, my brother!" Butch asserted.

"Yup! We're the Rowdyruff Boys, and we always stick-up for each other!" Boomer said.

"Anyway, here's the gas masks you'll need," Brick instructed. "Remember, whatever you do, don't remove it, or you'll go to dreamland and wake up in the same cell as Blossom. And put this extra gas mask on Blossom's head so she won't faint when you take her out of her cell."

"Anything else we need to know?" asked Booomer.

"Nope! I think I told you what you needed to know. Just follow the instructions in the paper I printed. Go! And good luck!" Brick said, lightly punching both his brothers on the elbows as a friendly gesture.

Boomer and Butch then went to Citiesville to do their duty, while Brick went back to bed.

* * *

Butch and Boomer slipped on their gas masks as they flew over the lake surrounding Citiesville. They quickly dropped to the ground when they reached Citiesville to avoid being spotted, and they ran as fast as they could towards the base of Ckracknow's skyscraper. They quickly flew to the fifty-seventh floor, hugging the wall as they did so. After reaching the floor, they searched for an open window. Finding none, Boomer got from his pocket a glass cutter and carefully made a circular hole in the glass windows, and inserted his hand in the hole to open the windows from inside. Once in, they, using the instructions on the paper, they disabled all alarms and found the duranium door.

The floor was deserted, except for a few guards who were quickly dispatched by the two. They saw the keypad besides the door, and using the code written in the paper, Butch opened the door.

Butch and Boomer entered, and Butch, using the second set of codes on the paper, punched another set of numbers on another keypad, making the laser criss-crossing the corridor disappear. When they reached the other end of the corridor, Butch punched another set of numbers, and the laser behind them reappeared. He then punched another set of numbers, and the second door to open, revealing another corridor with laser criss-crossing the room.

So they repeated the procedure five times until finally, the boys were thrilled to find out not another corridor behind the next door but a cell with a TV, a chair, and other comforts. But what really greeted their eyes was when they switched the light on, and saw Blossom hog-tied and gagged, sleeping soundly on the bed.

Boomer was about to remove Blossom's gag when Butch shook his head. "She might wake up, be startled by us, and scream!" Butch whispered. "Leave it on just to be on the safe side."

Boomer nodded as he quickly put on the spare gas mask they carried on Blossom's head. It woke Blossom, and she was indeed startled and screamed at the sight of two people wearing gas masks. Luckily, the gag made the scream very faint that even the boys could barely hear it, and she recognized Boomer and Butch afterwards. She breathed a sigh of relief on the thought that she was finally being rescued, though annoyed that they wouldn't remove her gag.

The boys tried undoing the hog-tie; finding that they couldn't, Butch carried her, and they slowly left the cell. Boomer punched the numbers on the keypad to close the cell, then slowly, they used the codes written in the paper to navigate their way out of the prison. Finally reaching the final door, Boomer punched the last few numbers on the keypad to shut the door. Boomer crumpled the paper with the instructions, and deposited it in a nearby trashcan. They then quickly flew out of the building and into Townsville, reaching their home a few minutes later.

"Phew! That was close! And exciting too!" Boomer said as he removed the gas mask from his head.

"Yeah, it was smooth!" Butch remarked as he removed his gas mask and that of Blossom's.

Blossom was wide-eyed staring at both boys, trying to get their attention, but failing miserably.

"So what do we do with her?" asked Butch.

"What else? Let's wake Brick and Dad and announce our success," Boomer said. "And remove her gag. And go to sleep! I'm bushed, and want to go to bed."

"Nah, you go on to bed. I'll let Brick know about it," Butch said.

"Really?" Boomer yawned.

"Of course. You're my brother, and I wouldn't want you to be deprived of sleep," Butch said.

"Thanks a million Butch," a sleepy Boomer said before going to bed.

Butch grinned evilly at Blossom, and a wicked thought came to his mind. He picked up the pink puff, and sneaked into Brick's room. Brick was sound asleep, and if experience was to be the guide, like when Buttercup and Bubbles took Brick while he was asleep in the forest, he was a heavy sleeper. He sneaked besides Brick, and noticed that Brick was leaning on one side of his wide bed, with a wide space on the other. With a chuckle, he placed Blossom on her stomach besides Brick, and laughing to himself, left the room. 'I can wait to see the look on his face when he wakes up and finds Blossom besides him. 'I really evil!'

Blossom, though awake and aware of all of this, and mad at Butch, was helpless to remedy the situation since her hog-tie rendered her immobile, and her thick gag rendered her unable to protest or to wake Brick from his dreams. So Blossom just turned her head away from Brick, and slept. She was happy that she was safe, and that the sunlight would see her body free of the cuffs and the gag, but angry with Butch for his prank. Oh she would get revenge on Butch, that she will, but for now, she was happy that at least she was safe.

* * *

It was seven in the morning…

Brick turned around on his bed and clutched the pillow that lay on his side. But it was odd that the pillow was warm, and seemed an animate object, instead of the lifeless mass of linen and cotton that it was. Opening his eyes, he saw a mass of red hair faced him, and he staggered back, his face full of surprise.

"What the…" he gasped, and on closer examination revealed that it was Blossom, sleeping.

"BUTCH! BOOMER!" Brick shouted, and he angrily marched out of his room in his pyjamas. He first burst into Butch's room, then dragged the poor ruff out of the room by his collar to Boomer's room.

"What the hell is going on here? And whose bright idea was it to put that ugly girl besides me on bed?" Brick angrily demanded of his brothers.

"Huh. What?" A groggy Boomer said as he emerged from his slumber. "Oh, we rescued Blossom. It was a cinch going through all those security apparatuses using the instructions you handed us."

"Obviously, you did your job well. But why the devil did you put Blossom in my bed? I should have locked my room when you left!"

"Um, I didn't. I went to bed when we returned and left Blossom to Butch," Boomer said.

"So it was you, Butch," Brick said in an angry manner. "And what possessed you to make such a prank?"

"Well, I figured, since you like her so much—" Butch began.

"How many times do I have to tell you, how many times do I have to drill it in your head, that I do not like that ugly girl! Heck, our neighbor's dog even looks better than that mass flesh with long red hair with an annoying personality! She, like all girls, have cooties, are disgusting, are too picky, plays dolls and wears dresses! Yuck! Yuck! Heck, I'm six years old, and I don't like girls at all! They're too nice, and they're too proper!" the six-year-old Brick asserted. "So there. I don't like Blossom, just as you don't like Buttercup! Your prank is not funny Butch! I demand an apology right now!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for that prank," Butch said. "Sheesh, it's just a prank! We have been doing pranks to the girls and to each other for months, so be a sport about this!"

"Whatever! Just glad you saw the light," Brick muttered before he left the room. As soon as the door closed, both Butch and Boomer exploded their suppressed laughter.

"Did you see the look on his face when he entered?" Butch asked.

In truth, both boys just knew that it got on Brick's nerves to say that he likes Blossom, and they just said that as revenge for the incident the previous day. Butch also wanted to get back at Brick for accusing him of hiding Blossom the day before.

Brick went to his room, where he saw Blossom still on his bed. "You won't tell anybody of this, okay?"

Blossom nodded.

"Okay, I'll carry you to Dad, where hopefully, he can cut off those damned cuffs and we can train!" Brick said. "The only thing I'll regret about is that you'll be able to use your big mouth again to yak!"

Brick then picked up the pink puff. He first went to his father's room. It was empty. He then went to the kitchen, were the Professor was cooking breakfast while Dr. Edwards was reading a paper.

"Dad, Professor, Blossom—"

"Blossom!" the Professor shouted, and immediately grabbed her from Brick's hands. He hugged her as tight as he could, and then he removed the gag from Blossom's mouth, which took a while, then kissed her in the cheek.

"Oh I miss you, Blossom, my little girl, did they do something terrible to you, oh Blossom, I'm glad you're okay, I'm so glad the boys were able to rescue you! Oh I miss you I miss you I miss you! And I'm glad you're okay!"

"I miss you too, Professor, I miss you too. You don't know how lonely it is to be alone, to be held captive with no way of escape from by those who hate you! Oh Professor, I'm so glad to be here! I'm so glad to see you! I'm so glad to be among loved ones again!" Blossom replied, then kissed the professor on the cheek.

Brick was disgusted by the display of emotion. But he noticed he was hungry and began eating the breakfast that the Professor had cooked. Boomer and Butch, still snickering at their brother, joined Brick.

"And could you remove these cuffs from me," asked Blossom. "I had been tied-up continuously for nearly forty hours, and my arms are aching. And give me water. That rag in my mouth so dried my mouth!"

Dr. Edwards then helped Blossom drink a glass of water. "Don't worry. The equipment is ready. Come on now, let's remove those cuffs."

"Thanks. And boys, thanks for saving me," Blossom said. "And Butch, I'll get you for that prank you pulled!"

Butch just ignored Blossom as he chomped on the sandwiches the Professor prepared.

The Professor picked up the leader of the Powerpuffs, and with Dr Edwards, went to the lab.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time…

"How the hell could she escape?" shouted Ckracknow at Alpha, Delta and Harry. "I made every precaution that she not escape, and yet, the bird had flown the coop! Oh get out of my sight! Alpha, Delta, patrol this city. Harry, do whatever you want."

Alpha, Delta and Harry left Ckracknow alone in the 57th floor. By this time, all sleeping gas had been removed.

In his rage, he walked rather clumsily, and accidentally tipped over a trash can, and its contents spilt on to the floor. Instead of shouting for a maid, he decided to pick up the trash himself. Out of curiosity, he began to unravel all the crumpled pieces of paper to see what those were. Most are private letters, newspaper clippings that are of no interest to him. After a couple of crumpled papers, he picked up what looked liked an ordinary piece of crumpled paper, and read its contents.

He was shocked.

The first part of the paper read.

_To William B. Edwards,_

And it gives precise instructions on how to get pass all the security apparatus that Ckracknow had installed to guard Blossom. And it gave all the number codes on all the doors.

'No wonder they were able to rescue Blossom. They know the codes and the traps and the gas and the alarms, and how to avoid all of those,' the small scientist thought.

He scanned the entire letter to see its author.

He was shocked to read the name at the bottom of the paper.

_Harry_

'That traitor will pay,' Ckracknow thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, at about eight in the morning…

Brick was in his room, reading one of the books he traded from Blossom in exchange for his forcing Boomer to take Bubbles to the amusement park, when Blossom suddenly entered the room, this time, with the cuffs and gravity belt completely taken off her body. She had taken a bath and had changed into fresh clothes and fixed her hair and had chatted for a time with her sisters and eaten breakfast before she went to Brick's room.

"So you're free? What do you want? And make it quick. I'm reading," Brick said.

"Hey, that's mine!" Blossom said.

"Yup it's yours, but you loaned it me and it hasn't expired yet," Brick said. "Now what do you want."

"First, I want to thank you for rescuing me."

"Thank Boomer and Butch. I have nothing to do with your rescue. In fact, I would have been happier had you remained Ckracknow's hands," Brick snapped.

"Anyway," Blossom said, who by this time was used to Brick's insults, "You had a lot to do with my second rescue, and you even came in person and rescued me the first time. Thanks."

"Don't thank me. It was just part of an overall plan to defeat Epsilon, and to enhance my image as leader of this group. Your safety is only a secondary consideration," Brick replied.

"Anyway, you ugly, arrogant jerk, do you have anything planned this afternoon?" asked Blossom.

"We'll train the entire afternoon," Brick replied.

"And do you have any plans on defeating the remaining two teens?"

"Well, if you have to know, I plan on dispatching Delta on December 26, after Christmas, and Alpha soon after that. But as for exact plans, I still have to make one," Brick replied.

"Well, I have a plan," Blossom said.

"Really? How the hell could you make a plan given your recent predicament?" Brick asked sceptically.

"There isn't anything else you could do if you're hog-tied," Blossom said. "And you have to promise me one thing first."

"What?"

"That you would make no modifications of it, and would do exactly as I say you would under my plan," Blossom said.

Brick looked at Blossom. "And why the hell would I do that? I am the leader of this alliance for crying out loud, and you, who in recent days were too busy being kidnapped and playing damsel-in-distress to be of any use to us, are in no position to make a demand like that!"

"Well, you let me be kidnapped in the first place. You're the leader, and you should have given me sufficient protection," Blossom argued back. "So ultimately, it's your responsibility. And besides, I know your big blunder yesterday, you know, about blaming Butch and Bubbles for my disappearance!"

"Don't remind me. It's too embarrassing. So I slipped up! Big deal! At least I wasn't tied-up for more than thirty hours and didn't need to be rescued twice!"

"And it's your fault that I was!" Blossom countered.

"Anyway, why should I prefer your plan to what I will device in the future against Delta?"

"Because my plan would have Delta dead this afternoon," Blossom said.

"Okay, you got me there. Tell me this plan of yours," Brick said. "And if it's good, I'll agree to follow your instructions."

"Okay, here it is," Blossom said as she began telling her plan to Brick.

* * *

Later in the morning…

Ckracknow was in his office, browsing among his papers.

"You called for me, sir?"

The mad scientist looked at the trim young man who just entered his office, standing by his door.

"Forty-Five, or as we call you, Harry Shippe, yes, I need you to examine this papers," Ckracknow said, handing Shippe two pieces of paper. One was crumpled and the other was not. Harry froze when he read both papers. It was his email to Brick, printed.

"The crumpled one I saw on a trash can, and it would explain how they were able to rescue Blossom," the creator of the five teenagers said. "They knew exactly what to do to avoid the pitfalls, and know exactly the number codes that they need to be enter in order to open the duranium doors. So it was not lack of security that caused us to lose Blossom for the second time, but treason. And do you know who the traitor is? Look at the name on the bottom to find out. Yes, I found out this morning that you are the traitor."

"After I found out this paper, I decided to check out your emails. After all, I know all the passwords of emails of all my creations, you know. Plus, the password on my website was confidential to all but myself. I checked the email sent box, and voila, I found out that you indeed sent an email to Brick telling him the secrets."

Ckracknow then stood up and began walking around the sweating and frightened Harry. "Then I began thinking. All of my other plans, the disappearance of Cychaela and Beta, the death of Epsilon, the failure of the riots, the failure to frighten them, and many other failures since my return, were not failures because the plans were faulty, or that the enemy were brilliant, but because all my plans were upset by a traitor who gave the enemy information needed to win against us."

"IN OTHER WORDS, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR US LOSING, AND FOR UPSETTING MY MOST BRILLIANT PLANS!" Ckracknow shouted, completely losing his temper. "You are a disgrace! You do not deserve to live! You are lower than rats! You are worst than feces! Tell, me, why did you do it?"

"Because it is the right thing to do," Harry said, though his face was white with fear.

Ckracknow then took a .45 pistol from his pocket and in a flash, shot Harry in the chest. The bullet hit his heart, and he died right there and then, collapsing on the floor. Ckracknow, in his rage, emptied the cartridge of the gun, firing bullet after bullet into Harry's body.

Ckracknow then spit on his body. "Ha, so much for traitors!"

Luckily for the consciences of Boomer and Butch, they never will know that their carelessness with the printed instructions was the cause of Harry's death.


	37. Triumph and Tragedy

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 37 **

**Triumph and Tragedy**

The end of this story is near. Only a few, maybe four or five or six chapter remains, and this story shall go to a close.

Thanks to **PPGXRRB 4EVA **for your kind reviews.

* * *

The city of Townsville…

It was the morning of December 23, at about eight thirty in the morning, and Blossom, who had just been rescued the second time, had just told Brick of her plan.

"Well, it's brilliant, if that's what you want me to say," Brick said. "But why the heck do you need to have full command? I mean you know you're not the leader, and I can easily execute it exactly the way you want it."

"Well, I was thinking, you were right. Even thought my two kidnappings was ultimately your responsibility as leader of the alliance, I was more of a burden than of use to the team during the last two days, and as a result, I have put undue strain upon us. And couple the fact that I was tied-up during the brief period between the two kidnappings, completely dependent upon others to attend to my needs. Need I say more? My reputation as a leader was damaged, and I need to repair it," Blossom said. "And being a fellow leader, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, I would. It must be certainly embarrassing for someone of your stature to be needed to be rescued, twice. I'm sure it was galling to your pride. But why now? It has happened to you before, and I don't fancy your reputation being damaged by it."

"True, but my leadership don't have competition before, and I don't consider Buttercup my rival as leader," Blossom said. "But now that you are the leader, and I a mere second-in-command, trying to prove that I am better than you, this is very damaging!"

"Pshaw! Even before I came back, and before this alliance was formed, and after that too, you were kidnapped and tied-up many times, and your reputation was not affected; hell, in some cases, it was even enhanced!"

"Well, being kidnapped by you, your brothers, or my sisters in a trick, a game, or a prank does not count!" Blossom replied. "Being kidnapped in the past three days by an enemy you are fighting against certainly made me think. Besides, you yourself said that my being kidnapped twice would disqualify me from any leadership role! So I need you to give me a chance to regain my reputation!"

"Funny how you use my own words against me," Brick said. "What the heck, I've got nothing to lose by letting you command for a while. Okay, you can command the alliance, even me, and claim credit—however, it would only apply till the fight is over. The moment Delta is defeated, the command would devolve back to me. And if you, by some quirk of fate, becomes leader of this alliance again, you must grant me the same privilege."

"Oh thanks Brick," Blossom said, and she suddenly and unexpectedly hugged Brick. Brick was surprised, and roughly pushed Blossom back.

"Get your girly hands off me, you ugly girl!" Brick snapped. "What the hell were you thinking? I'm not Boomer you know, who you can just scare with your girly whims!"

"You don't have do be such a stuck-up jerk you know. I always hug my friends and my sisters!" Blossom said. "It's not like you'll explode if I did the same to you!"

"I thought you don't like me," Brick snapped.

"Oh I don't. I don't like you," Blossom said. "But I'm grateful to you Brick. No matter how you deny it, I know it was you who was largely responsible for my second rescue. You're just too proud to admit that you are not as cold-hearted as you try to pretend to be, and that you care about me and my sisters! And no matter how much you say that you hate us, no matter how much you insult us, we know from your actions."

"Feh! You're deluded if you think that! You know that all our actions that seemed nice we did just because of our selfish self-interests," Brick replied. "And you're too dim to know of it. I don't like you. Period."

"Am I? You're the one who's deluding yourself! You and your brothers may not say nice things to us, but you certainly do nice things for us," Blossom replied. "Why can't we just be friends? I mean despite all, we tend to act friendly to each other. I mean we play when we don't have fights. I know about you, Boomer and Bubbles every afternoon, not to mention the tag we played in your forest in the dead of night. Remember, I was wearing that bulky dress that I keep tripping. Granted, Buttercup forced us too, but still! I've enjoyed it, and thought you don't say it, you did too. I could see it in your eyes. And I could repeat several instances where we acted as friends, not just as cold allies, despite what you say. I know. A girl knows these things, and reading boys is like reading a book."

"Never mind," Brick said. "I know you can spout off irrelevant example after irrelevant example after irrelevant example after irrelevant example, based solely on your imagination or your twisted interpretations of certain facts, but you have to know that just because I act like one does not mean I am one. My words confirm it! And I do not want to be your friend, ever! Especially since you're so ugly and disgusting."

"Oh the insults," Blossom replied. "If it were any other person, I'd be extremely mad, but I know you're just teasing, you arrogant bloated jerk! You're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk, you're a jerk!"

"Oh stop the infernal racket, or I'll have to gag you again! And believe me, me and my brothers would love to see you in a corner, sitting quiet and still, just like a little girl like you should be, just like the state I found you when I woke up this morning, you know, when you can't talk, and you're hands were stuck at your back?"

"Oh really, well, I could easily have my sisters to back me up and…"

And they teased and insulted each other for the next thirty minutes, some intelligent, some really dumb, but amazingly, none lost their cool and kept the exchange, if it could be called that, and shouting—civil, till a call from her sisters caused Blossom, who had too much fun at Brick's expense, to terminate the amusing scene. Brick then claimed victory, thinking that he had just bested Blossom.

Things were normal till afternoon, after lunch. Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium were washing the plates, and the kids were lounging in the living room.

"So, Brick, what are we going to do?" asked Butch. "Are we gonna train, or what?"

"No we're not, because this afternoon, at three, we would battle one of our enemies—guess who?"

"Alpha?" asked Buttercup.

"No you idiot, he's too powerful to beat right now," Brick shouted.

Buttercup fumed. "Hey, don't call me an id—"

"Delta!" Boomer said.

"Yup! Him! Delta! The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet! You know, the one with the gray hair and the brown eyes? The 5'3" dwarf?" the pink leader confirmed.

"But how do we separate him from Alpha? We certainly can't fight Alpha if you say that's he's too powerful! So, what's your plan?" asked Bubbles, looking at Brick.

"Well, it's Blossom's plan, so I'll let the ugly girl explain!"

"And that, coming from a complete jerk, and a monster! Maybe you're looking at a mirror when you're saying you're ugly!" Blossom teased. "First, some quick facts about Delta. He is physically weaker than Epsilon, but unlike that chunk of muscle that we just finished yesterday, Delta here is faster and can make laser attacks. And his laser attacks are very very powerful, thought not that accurate. So whatever you do, don't let yourselves be hit by his lasers. I'm pretty sure that our armor won't protect us from laser attacks. But it would protect us from his punches and kicks, so the best course of action would be to engage him in close quarters, to prevent him from using his laser, since he can only do his most powerful laser attacks if his arms are straight and extended."

"Ah, like we did with Beta!" Boomer said.

"Yup, it will be a repeat of that fight, since Beta and Delta are like twins," Blossom replied.

"Yeah, but how do we friggin' separate him from Alpha? I don't think they'd be stupid enough to separate after they saw what happened to Epsilon," Butch replied.

And Blossom told them the rest of her plan. When it was over, Buttercup was pleased, while Boomer and Butch were steaming mad.

* * *

"Brick, me and Boomer want to talk to you—in private," Butch said after the meeting. Butch, then Brick, then Boomer went up into Brick's room.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Butch shouted, very angry, when he was sure the girls wouldn't hear him. "Why the hell did you let that girl command us three? Were you drinking? Are you taking drugs? You are the fckin leader not she, and you gave it away?"

"Yeah!" Boomer said. "I may not dislike her now as much as I did before, but I still don't like taking orders from her! No way. No! No! No! I'd had enough of taking orders from her during the past months, and now that you're the leader, you're making her lead this mission? Heck, I don't care if it was only one mission! I'll be damned if I follow another one of her orders while you are the leader. If she was leader I can understand obeying her, but while you're leader? This is insufferable! You won the election for crying out loud! Maybe Butch was right. Maybe she holds you under her spell, and thus can't refuse anything she said."

Brick just laughed. "My dear brother, if she indeed has me under her spell, I would have permanently given her the leadership, as that is what she really wants. I would not resume control after the fight with Delta if Blossom really controlled me. Really, you should have more faith in me! As if!"

"So I am paranoid! But why the heck did you give her command? You can easily execute her plan with you commanding," asked Boomer.

"Yeah! Are you going to tell me this is part of your plan?" Butch asked.

"Of course," Brick said. "All my actions have a plan!"

"And your plan is?" asked Butch. "Come on, cough it up! We're your brothers, for crying out loud! As you said, have more faith in us!"

"You know why I approved of her plan?" Brick began, "Because her plan is not that good, and I guarantee you, it'll fail. And if she has command, she'll get all the blame for the failure, and I'll get off scot-free, and because of that, Blossom will have her reputation ruined, and with that, all chance of her ever regaining the leadership of this alliance would be lost, as I will be the undisputed leader! Don't worry. Her failing won't involve any of us dying or being kidnapped."

"Wow, so that's your plan! Pretty sneaky, if I must say so myself!" Boomer said. "Though you should have told us earlier, so we wouldn't have exploded."

"Well you outdone yourself this time, Brick," Butch complemented. "Guess Boomer and I won't have to go through our plan."

"What plan?" asked a curious Brick.

"Oh nothing. It's just Boomer and I plan to get Blossom after lunch, tie her up so she'd disappear for a while, and you've no choice but to execute the plan yourself and be forced to lead, and we have to follow you, not Blossom. And you'd probably think Ckracknow kidnapped Blossom because of your last foul-up, and you wouldn't suspect us. Then we untie her after Delta is dead, you yell at us for kidnapping Blossom, and things get back to normal," Butch said. "Well, your plan is much sneakier, and we can totally get away with it, so there's no need to carry out our plan!"

Right there and then, Brick was relieved he didn't force his brothers to accept Blossom's command. "Pretty sneaky, but flawed in so many places it won't work without me knowing it. Still, I'm glad we agreed on a plan."

* * *

Meanwhile, later at three in the afternoon…

It was a bitter cold winter day, and it was heavily snowing in Citiesville. Delta was in the northern sector of Citiesville, patrolling the city for people trying to cross the narrow stretch of water between the hell known as Citiesville, to what looks like heaven to the residents stuck in the island—the mainland suburbs. Lacking boats, they resorted to making rafts out of floating ice, or wooden furniture, anything that might float, to cross the narrow stretch of water. Of course, given the very rough current of that part of the lake, it was a very dangerous crossing, yet people prefer the perils of meeting an icy doom to living in a lawless Citiesville.

Delta was thinking, thinking hard. 'So it was Harry who was responsible for freeing Blossom the second time, and all of our failures were his fault. Fuckin' bastard! Glad he met his maker though. And why is Master Ckracknow obsessed with getting that Blossom? Well, it's not for me to question, but the fact is, Ckracknow, ever since Blossom escaped the second time, had become fixated on recovering Blossom, and said nothing else during this morning. Well, I hope I catch her, but that ain't gonna happen soon. They're not that stupid.'

He continued his brooding. Alpha was patrolling the southern sector of the city, though both are within eye-contact of each other, since both are flying high above the city, looking in contempt at the people below. Delta sighed, and prepared to make some kills to satisfy his displeasure, when he saw a pink streak flying low at fast speed towards Citiesville. 'Guess I was wrong. They are that stupid!'

He watched Blossom fly fast to the edge of Citiesville, pick up some shivering civilians, and fly them back to the mainland.

'Ah, ain't that cute? Saving those wretched souls,' Delta thought as he saw her deposit the civilians from the mainland, then come back for more civilians. 'And she's extremely foolish as well. Anyway, she's mine. She's my prize, And when Master Ckracknow sees that I caught her, he'll be thrilled and I'll be rewarded!' These thoughts ran through the fifteen-year-old's mind as he raced towards the pink leader.

Blossom was picking up a few civilians when she saw Delta flying fast towards her. Instead of being terrified at the sight of him—a more powerful creature than her, she grinned, as if a prey took a bait, and flew to the other side of the lake, put down the civilians, and flew as fast as she could away from the town.

'Oh no you're not! You're not getting away that easy,' Delta thought as she saw the little pink puff flying away from the city.

Alpha made a glance to the north and was disappointed to see the speck in the sky that was Delta flying to the other bank. 'That Delta, always slacking on the job,' he thought. 'Better teach him a quick lesson,' he thought as he prepared to catch up with the fifteen-year-old. However, before he can do anything, a shiny ball of light, flying at high speed, collided with him, and the light turned out to be pure energy upon contact, and a dreadful, powerful explosion took place.

The ball, though powerful, wasn't powerful enough to hurt Alpha, though it annoyed him no end as he was covered with soot. He turned to see where it came from, and he saw Butch floating proudly, looking at him with a smirk, clutching another ball in his hand, saying "Hey Pinhead, catch!" before throwing it at him and darting off as fast as he can. Alpha quickly dodged the new energy ball and gave chase to the green ruff, completely forgetting about Delta.

The raven haired ruff saw Alpha chasing him, and he smiled. He was now flying above the lake, with nothing to see but water in all directions, the city having disappeared beyond the horizon a few seconds ago. In another few seconds, the other shore of the lake appeared, and in a few more seconds, Butch was flying over the land covered with snow and trees and rolling if lifeless hills, the lake completely disappearing behind him. It was still snowing heavily, and both pairs were wearing thick clothes.

Alpha was on his tail, determined to catch his prey. His earlier annoyance at being struck unexpectedly was gone—to be replaced by a relaxed feeling, a feeling of pleasure as he imagined himself catching, fighting, defeating and killing Butch. The foolish ruff was alone, and he could easily dispatch him. He was in no hurry; so he slowed down to give time for an enjoyable chase. He knew he could easily overcome Butch if he really wanted to.

Butch saw that Alpha, who second by second, was catching up, slowed down, and it gave him the opportunity he was waiting for. He darted high in the air, and just as suddenly, turned 180º and headed for the ground, and like a bullet, pierced the soft earth, leaving a small hole, but the weak ground quickly collapsed on it and any trace of where Butch's whereabouts was gone. Butch, like a mole, quickly went underground about a hundred feet deep, stopped, then dug horizontally towards the direction of Townsville, the tunnel he left behind disappearing as quickly as it was made by collapsing walls.

Alpha quickly went to the hole that Butch went through, but to his dismay, found out that it was covered with soil, rocks, and dirt, and was merely a crater instead of the hole it once was. Frustratingly, Alpha flew upwards to check for any sign in the surface of where his quarry might be, but he found no sign of the green ruff. Butch was deep enough not to disturb anything on the surface by his extremely fast movement underground. After a few seconds of frustrated scanning, he himself plunged into the ground the way a diver might plunge into water, tunnelling around the general facility of the area, resulting in dozens of tunnels that just as quickly got filled up with collapsing dirt.

After a minute of fruitless search, Alpha, using a powerful laser from his hands, blasted the ground, creating a crater about three hundred feet deep and two thousand feet in diameter. But there was neither a sign of Butch, nor of the tunnels that he burrowed into. Alpha gave a large shout, before going back to Citiesville, where he murdered a thousand individuals in the streets to release his frustration of Butch's escape. The carnage was stopped only when Ckracknow called for him.

* * *

Butch was half a mile away when he felt the tremors that Alpha's blast caused. He was moving at top speed, though the soil, rocks, and dirt made his speed only a quarter of what he can accomplish in air, but given his natural speed, it was still incredibly fast. He decided to surface. When he reached the surface, he quickly stood up on the ground as he saw the tunnel where he came from disappear under the mass of dirt. He can see Alpha staring at the ground, high in the air, a distance away, near the horizon. Butch quickly hid behind a hill before he examined himself.

He was extremely dirty, covered from head to toe with dirt, rocks, soil, snow and bones. His green outfit was barely recognizable under the brown and red soil covering it. He removed his cap, dusted the soil off, then brushed the dirt off his clothes and removed the handkerchief covering the lower part of his face and the shades he wore. He pocketed the dirty hardetal handkerchief, and wiped the dirt covering his shades. 'Look at me! I'm a mess! I'll go change first and then join the others. Hope they don't kill Delta before I arrive,' he thought before flying fast towards his home.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Blossom flew at high speed towards a group of hills two hundred miles south of the city. There she stopped, and stared at the approaching Delta. Delta saw his break, and headed for Blossom, intent on taking her, and beating her up if she resisted. However, she was only a few yards from his prize when he was suddenly attacked from below.

It was Bubbles. Delta was violently thrown upwards seconds after his stomach was punched by Bubbles' right fist. It only hurt a little, but to his extreme surprise, it _did_ hurt. He halted as soon as possible, but before he can survey the situation, Brick kicked him in the neck, sending him careening down towards the ground. Before he could react, Boomer appeared from nowhere, grabbed his foot, spun it around, and slammed it against a hill, before throwing him towards Blossom, who balled up her fists and struck him in the head, sending him plummeting to earth but never reaching it since Buttercup, who was waiting for him, kicked him like a football, and like a ball, sent him zooming out towards space in a 45º angle.

This time, nobody did anything before he halted in the air. He surveyed his surroundings, and found himself surrounded at five sides. Blossom, who a few seconds ago was merely his prize, was in front of him, her hands crossed in front of her with a proud smirk on her face. Brick was at his left, his face also in a smirk, his hands also crossed in front of him, though his wide round eyes were purposely narrowed. Buttercup was under him, lying horizontally while floating, her hands and feet in a fighting position, her teeth greeted with anticipation. Bubbles was behind him, with a determined look, rarely seen—like when she was at hardcore. Her mouth was firmly shut, her eyes was ablaze with determination. Above him, on his upper left was Boomer, with a scowl on his face, his hands in fighting position.

Delta looked around him and knew he was in deep trouble.

"Okay, if you really are fair, you would fight me one on one," Delta challenged.

"If you watched Epsilon's demise, if you know how he perished, you would know that such appeals are useless," Brick said. "We have no use for such things as fair play, especially when dealing with scum like you."

"Boomer, Bubbles, attack!" Blossom ordered, and the blue pair attacked, Boomer from below, and Bubbles from his back. Delta was quick enough to adjust his position to be able to meet the onslaught, and his speed more than held its own against Boomer and Bubbles, whom Delta maneuvered into unfavorable positions, and easily countered their punches, kicks and lunges. Boomer lashed out at Delta, but the villain easily held him off with one hand, while he just as easily fended off Bubbles with his left. But the fighting made him frown. He was fast. He was faster than Beta. But he was not as fast as Cychaela. He was strong. But he was weaker than Epsilon. And he cannot compare with his older brother Alpha, in all aspects of power. The only thing that he can best them with was his laser blasts, which was more powerful than anything on earth except Alpha's, but the puffs and ruffs prevented him from using his most powerful laser attacks. His speed of course, enabled him to land several powerful punches on Bubbles and Boomer, but he was unable to fathom why none of those punches seemed to have any effect.

Blossom, Buttercup, and Brick, was observing the fight.

"I think they need our help. Brick, go," the temporary leader of the Alliance ordered, and Brick, without so much of a murmur, eagerly joined. He quickly gave a harsh kick on Delta's head, causing him to lower his defenses against the blue pair. Seconds later, he was exposed to the full force of the attack of the three kids.

"Buttercup, I think we better join the fray and finish him off!"

"All right," the green puff shrieked, and both girls attacked Delta. In a couple of seconds, he was thrown to the ground. He seemed to be unconscious and not breathing.

"Do you think he's dead?" asked Boomer.

"I don't know. But most likely yes," Brick said. "You see, all our punches and kicks must have been too much for him, and our final strike, which sent him down, must have been fatal."

They examined Delta's body for a few seconds, and all signs of life were gone.

"Better check to be sure," Boomer remarked before going near the body. He checked his breathing and his pulse. He floated just above the body, and went to face the others above. "He's dead!"

Delta opened his eyes, and because Boomer was blocking Buttercup, Brick, Blossom and Bubbles' view of Delta's head, and Boomer himself had his back on Delta, nobody noticed it. Delta smiled, and quickly put his outstretched hands, two inches from the gloating Boomer's back.

"Boomer, watch—" Brick shouted.

"Behind you!" Buttercup shouted too.

But it was too late. Delta's most powerful blast hit Boomer square in the back, and there was a powerful explosion. Seconds later, the blond ruff could be seen spinning upwards, unconscious, and bloodied. His body was a mess of wounds and bruises, and his clothes, though intact and without damage, was dripping with blood.

"Boomer!" Bubbles shouted, and she quickly caught Boomer.

"Boomer!" Brick shouted, and rushed to his brother's side, roughly grabbing his unconscious brother away from Bubbles' arms. "Damn! He's bleeding badly! Several of his bones seemed to have been broken! Bubbles, go and fly my brother to Dad. As long as Dad can fix him up as soon as possible, he'll be alright and in a few hours be back to normal, but if you don't hurry, he'll die! He'll die I tell you! Bubbles, go to Dad and he'll know what to do! And after you have given him to Dad, come back here as fast as you can!"

But Bubbles was shaking so violently at seeing Boomer that she was unable to move.

"Never mind. Buttercup, could you do it?"

Buttercup nodded, and she took Boomer's nearly lifeless body and flew fast towards Townsville.

So now it was only Brick, Blossom, and Bubbles. Both Brick and Bubbles were covered with Boomer's blood, and Bubbles was too shaken to be of any use at the moment, so it was only Blossom and Brick.

"And once again, our overconfidence has done us in. The same thing happened to me when Buttercup and I fought Two, yet did I learn? I should've made sure he was dead! Damn it! Boomer's life would be in my hands if he dies! My hands, I tell you! I'm sure he'll be alright if he reaches Dad in time, and would be, tomorrow morning, be back to normal, but, if we're too late and he dies before he reaches Dad, then I don't want to think about it," Brick said in a distraught manner.

Blossom was at a lost for words, and just nodded.

"And now—if it would be permitted, since you are, rather than me, in command of this battle—we resume our fight. Right now, vengeance and retribution are such sweet words," Brick said.

Blossom finally found her voice. "Yes. Brick, you and I will wear those shades, adjust the level to five, and—"

"Watch out!" Bubbles suddenly shouted.

Both leaders looked down, and dodged the powerful laser beam Delta had sent with seconds to spare. Bubbles, who had snapped back to reality, attacked Delta with a renewed fury. Brick, for a few seconds lost his reason and attacked Delta, unleashing a fury seldom seen in the usually calm Brick.

Delta was able to fend them off, but Blossom joined Bubbles and Brick. Remarkably, Delta was able to fend off the three in spite of the fury he inspired by his near killing of Boomer.

Delta broke through the three, and flew high up in the sky. He considered escaping to Citiesville and fetching his brother, Alpha, but decided against it. He was determined to catch Blossom alone.

He floated above the ground, and smirked. He began to collect energy in his hands. "What I did to Boomer was just a fraction of my total power," Delta shouted. "Now, I'll unleash my total power, and no doubt, you'll be spread out in little pieces across this snowed-covered-land after this day is over!" he shouted.

He began collecting energy in his hands.

"Brick, Bubbles, wear your shades and set the level to five," ordered the pink puff. "Now, when he unleashes his laser, we'll combine our laser into one, counter his laser, and overcome him. We'll meet his laser, and we will prevail."

It took several seconds for him to gather sufficient force in his hands, and after a dramatic theatrical gesture in his arms, he shouted, "Die!", and unleashed the powerful laser upon the three.

"Now!" Blossom shouted, and on cue, all three of them used their laser eyes. Passing through their shades, it was magnified five times, and the three combined into one, forming an even more powerful beam, and collided with Delta's attack.

The two powerful beams were engaged in a reverse tug-of-war, with the two sides trying their best to prevail. It seemed that both sides underestimated the strength and power of each other, and in a short few seconds, both sides were sweating profusely as both tried to push their laser towards the other at the same time.

And so it remained that way for two minutes. However, Delta's advantages came to show, slowly but surely. With supreme strength, he was able to push the laser back inches by inches, using more and more of his power, the last of his reserves, while the three strained to keep par with Delta. They did not find the last reserves of energy they needed to push back, and found that they could not stop the slow advance of Delta's laser.

Victory for Delta was but a moment away.

But like Napoleon at Waterloo, victory would be denied by the timely arrival of the enemies' allies, and for Delta, his Blucher and his Prussians would be Buttercup and Butch.

For just as he was winning, Butch—wearing clean clothes and who himself was clean—and Buttercup—her dress clean of the blood of Boomer, indicating she too changed clothes—arrived.

Butch quickly put his shades on his eyes, as did Buttercup. Both set the level at the highest, and both struck Delta's back at point blank range.

At that moment, Delta was overwhelmed. He quickly lost any advantage he had, and the three's laser advanced rapidly toward him. Seconds later, Delta died as his body was scattered across the plain.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"What?" asked Alpha irritatingly. "I have lost Butch, and I need to kill someone!"

"You have killed enough, I think, before I called you. I saw the bodies littered in the street," Ckracknow said. "Perhaps, what I have to say would more than compensate for your recent failure?"

"What?"

"The device that I showed you a few days ago is ready!" Ckracknow said.

"What device?" asked Alpha.

"Don't you remember? I told you about it just after I told you the history of Dr. Edwards, Mr. Morebucks, and Professor Utonium. It's a device that can increase your strength many times over. I underestimated the time the needle would reach 50, but only by two days. It's now ready. Once you get out of the machine, there's no question that you will win every fight you encounter with your enemies. Your power would be unstoppable, and no matter how hard they trained, you will always be ahead of them."

"Okay, okay, let's just get this over with," an impatient Alpha said.

Ckracknow beckoned his creation to follow him. The two went to the elevator, and proceeded to the bottom floor. Getting out, they saw that the device was ready. The containers that previously contain dead bodies with acid eating their bodies were now empty.

"It's ready," said Ckracknow. "You see, just a few hours ago, the green acid seeped enough energy from the bodies of the dead humans. You will become more powerful than you ever were. However, I must give you a warning."

"A warning?" asked Alpha.

"This device artificially increases your power and energy. However, your body's physical strength will not correspondingly increase. That can only happen with enough physical training. Shortcuts like this might overstrain your body, and might impair your judgment," Ckracknow explained. "That means you better not use your trump card, or, combined with this, you might overload. I want to warn you of this before you do this, so you might refuse if you think it's too much of a risk."

"What will happen if I overload?"

"You might destroy yourself with too much power that your body can't handle."

Alpha considered his master's words. "But will it increase my power, and thus, strengthen my body and my physical attacks too?"

"Yes," Ckracknow said. "Just don't use your special power."

"Then I'll take it. I haven't seen the need to use my special ability, so I don't think it's too much of a risk. With so much new power, I won't ever need to use it," said Alpha.

"Very well. Now, if you will please enter the glass room, we can now begin the procedure."

Alpha opened the glass door of the glass rectangular room. It's really a small room, with the dimensions of seven feet high by three feet wide by two feet long, with a single chair inside of it. Metal rods and tubes about three inches long protrude from the top and bottom of the room. Outside the room was a light bulb.

Alpha sat on the chair, and Ckracknow closed the door. Alpha simply nodded, and Ckracknow pulled a big shiny red lever besides the machine.

There was first a hum being heard—the hum of a machine whirring. But far more noticeable than a standard hum was the electric bolts that could be seen traveling between the metal rods above and below the glass room. Soon, it attacked Alpha's body, though he felt nothing. Soon, the room was filled with a greenish gas. Alpha began making involuntary shakes as he inhaled the gas.

Alpha soon disappeared in a swirling mass of gas in the chamber. And so he remained for five minutes, when the bulb suddenly lighted, and Ckracknow pulled back the lever. The metal tubes drained the gas, and Alpha, dazed, opened the glass and shook his head.

"Well? Feel any different?" asked Ckracknow.

"Well, I feel a bit dizzy, but other than that, I feel infinitely more powerful than I was five minutes ago! I could feel the power surging through my body!" said Alpha rather dizzily, shaking his head, but with supreme confidence and supreme arrogance. "I have the power!"

"I thought so," Ckracknow said. "The device worked perfectly!"

"So, what's your first order, Master? Want me to attack Townsville and end those kids once and for all?"

"No. You would do no such thing! I've made it clear, that under no circumstance would you attack Townsville! I am clear?"

"Yes Master."

"So you won't attack Townsville?"

"Not unless you gave me permission, sir."

"Good. Now I want you to find Delta, so we can boost his power too," Ckracknow said. "Don't forget to take your this cell phone with you and call me if you found him, okay? If you encounter the kids, don't use your special ability, or you might get bloated from too much power, and who knows what will happen!

"Yes sir. I am very much aware of that," said Alpha, and the eighteen-year-old zoomed out to the Northern sector to fetch his brother. He arrived in a second, but did not find him. He made a quick search through every building in the area, but like before, he did not find him. He then spent the next ten minutes searching and, because of his new speed, was able to check everything thrice. Not finding any sign of him he called out. He shouted Delta's name but there was no response.

He then flew out of the city to try to search for his colleague.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"So how is Boomer?" said Brick, the first words spoken after Delta's demise.

"I don't know," Butch replied. "Buttercup arrived carrying a bloodied and unconscious Boomer. I was shaken, and shocked. Dad immediately put Boomer to the mediroom, where he began to fix him. He said he will call to report Boomer's condition as soon as possible."

"I hope he's alright. And thanks for coming when you did. You saved our asses back there."

"Don't mention it."

The girls were just silent. Buttercup was staring at the landscape. She saw Delta's scattered parts, was immediately disgusted, and turned away.

Bubbles was just silently staring into the cloud-covered and snowing sky. Unnoticed by all, tears were streaming out of her eyes.

Blossom was thinking by her herself. Finally, after a minute, she spoke. "I hope Boomer will be okay. And by the way, since Delta's dead, I think that my time as temporary leader of this alliance is over, and you Brick, should resume being leader again. And Brick, I am sorry for what happened. I really blew it, didn't I? I became temporary leader, and I got Boomer nearly killed."

"No. You did alright," Brick said, going near the pink puff. "You got Delta killed, didn't you? And your plan to divert Alpha was brilliant. And you timed Butch's and Buttercup's return, and ensured that they would arrive just in time to turn the tide in our favor. You should be proud of yourself, though don't expect any more compliments from me. And Boomer won't die. He won't. I won't allow it. And don't tell anyone I told you this." He said it in a way that the Butch wouldn't hear of it. "I have a reputation to keep, you know! You're still ugly, by the way."

"Boys, girls, I have news! Good news in fact! Boomer is going to be okay. It was close, and I nearly lost him, but with the Professor's help, I was able to bring him back, and he's alright. He'll make a full recovery in a few hours, but right now, I still need to do a couple of things to him," Dr. Edwards suddenly said through all their watches.

"Really Dad? He's going to be all right?" asked an expectant Brick.

"Yup! He is. Like before, the chemical X on his body—once the immediate danger is taken care of—would assure a pretty rapid recovery. If he was a normal human, he'd take a few weeks, but happily, he's not. Tomorrow morning, he'd be in tip-top shape!" Dr. Edwards continued.

"Yes!" Brick shouted, punching the air with his fist.

"Boomer's going to be alright" Butch shouted, and began made a punch in the air, but due to his enthusiasm and excitement, accidentally punched his brother. "Oh man, I'm sorry, bro. It was an accident."

Brick clutched his stomach in pain. "Oh it's all right. Accidents do happen!" Brick then deliberately punched Butch. "Like this one is also an accident!"

Soon, both brothers were laughing together, happy that Boomer was alright, and that only Alpha remains to be taken care of.

"Yipee! Boomer is okay!" Bubbles shouted in joy, and went on to hug both Blossom and Buttercup.

"Yup, that critter isn't going anywhere soon," Buttercup affectionately replied.

"Thank God he's okay," Blossom replied, and breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Well, let's go home," Brick said as soon as he and Butch stopped laughing and playfully punching each other. "Before Butch here kills me!"

"Or I," a deep and new but familiar voice suddenly said. "It seems that you have killed my brother, but since we are enemies and at war, I don't blame you. But you will pay nonetheless."

All kids turned to the source of the voice. They saw the six-foot-two-inches tall, eighteen-year-old boy with short silver hair that was neatly combed. His face was calm, with a mocking smile on his lips. His red eyes were intimidating, and his stance was erect. His figure, were it not for the fact of his villainy, would command immediate respect. And to the surprise of the rest of the kids, he was wearing a blue suit and black tie. But what was most striking was the evil, and power, that seemed to emanate from him. It was so pervading that it sent chills to the kids.

"You seemed surprised?" Alpha said. "Maybe the suddenness of my appearance? Well, I appeared three seconds ago on the horizon and spotted you. Perhaps what bugs you the most was my attire? Well, Master Ckracknow has been pestering us about our clothes, I decided this day to fulfil his wish that we dress respectably. And you seemed to have done your job quite well. You have managed to dispatch my four colleagues. Let's see. Beta, Cychaela, Epsilon, and now Delta. Quite impressive. And so much so that you accomplished this feat even though each of them was more powerful than each of you individually. Yup. Brick, you are a smart leader. Yes, unlike my master, you have not fooled me. Ever since the first rescue of Blossom, I immediately knew you were the leader of the alliance, not Blossom. Oh t'was so common, the facts are so simple, the deception so obvious, that it was a relatively simple task of figuring out the truth. Pity that Master Ckracknow refused to listen to me."

"And oh yes, you have done well. You have beaten off most of my Master's efforts to lure you out of Townsville. First the killings, then the riots. It was clear from hindsight that you knew that my Master was bluffing when he threatened to attack Townsville. And you have made two successful rescues of Blossom, one of which was under my very nose. Yes, you are very smart, very clever, and very lucky."

"But now your luck ends," Alpha proclaimed. "I came here to retrieve my brother but instead found you, far from your sanctuary, and Delta dead. Now it ends!"

The five kids looked at Alpha with a slight fear, but all utterly banished by the confidence they gained in defeating four of their opponents, all of whom were infinitely more powerful than each individual ruff or puff.

"And you are foolish enough to fall for the same trick that all your brothers and one sister fell for," Brick replied. "You went alone to us, and you negated your strength by doing so. And the fact that the rest of your team is dead proves how poor a leader you are."

"Oh yes. I admit, I have been a poor leader recently, but now that I'm alone, I don't need that skill anymore," Alpha said. "And you seem to underestimate me. Yes, all of you combined is too powerful even for my powerful colleagues to resist, but you would find that I am different. Perhaps a little demonstration is in order?"

"No. Let's just fight and get this over with," Brick replied.

"If that is what you want," Alpha said.

"Okay. Bubbles, Butch, go and see how powerful he really is," Brick ordered. "Attack him!"

Expecting Alpha to be no more powerful than his brother, both Butch and Bubbles lunged at Alpha. Alpha made no defense other than to dodge his attackers, and he effortlessly did so, moving so fast that it seemed as if Bubbles' and Butch's fists were going through him.

"It's not working, Brick," Butch shouted.

"Yeah! He seems like a hologram! My arm keeps getting through him!" Bubbles shouted too.

"He's too fast!" Brick observed. "The rest of you, attack!"

And Brick, Boomer, Blossom and Buttercup joined in full force in the attack against Alpha. And it achieved nothing.

They seemed to be not affecting Alpha in any negative way, as he effortlessly dodged their attacks.

Suddenly, he moved out of the fight.

"Oh I'm bored. You're all too slow. I'm going to let you hit me so you can't whine that I'm just too fast. Go on. Hit me. I won't bite!"

"You've bitten more than you can chew, Alpha," Boomer shouted, and all five of them attacked.

As promised, he didn't move as much as an inch. Brick and the others attacked him with full force. They punched him in the head, in the body, even below the belt. They used their most powerful physical attacks on him. But it didn't seem to make a dent in Alpha's body.

Five minutes later, Alpha backed out. "You're seriously boring me. My grandmother can hurt me better. I'm giving you one more shot, and then it's my turn, so better make it good."

"What do we do? He seems, dare I say it, invincible!" Bubbles said.

"Yeah! That was our best!" Buttercup shouted. "And he looks as crisp as a brand new book."

"Well, we still got one card left," Brick said. "Let's do the combined laser attack. Put the level on your shades to five, and we'll combine them together, like how we did in Epsilon and Delta. We'll see how Alpha fares against this."

The five then put the shades at their most powerful level, at five times magnified. They stood besides each other at a distance and at an angle, and unleashed their power. The five beams immediately merged, and with one absolutely powerful beam, their power surged. The beam, like a ray of light, hit Alpha head on, and there was a powerful explosion.

It was the most powerful attack that the puffs and ruffs ever made—the same attack that ended the lives of Delta and Epsilon before.

The smoke cleared, and there was Alpha, standing tall and proud, with a smirking face, without any sign that he had been hit at all.

"So that's your most powerful attack? Wow. It tickled a bit, but other than that, it was just a big light show. Maybe you should do stunts at a fair? I'm sure people will pay a lot of money for your talents!"

"Oh shit," Butch said.

"We're doomed," Buttercup said.

"Just how powerful is he?" wondered Blossom.

"Just the most powerful thing I've ever set my eyes on," Brick said.

"What do we do?" asked Bubbles.

"Now it's my turn," Alpha said.

In a dazzling demonstration of his speed, he quickly went over to Bubbles, and smashed his elbow against her head. Luckily, her hat prevented her from being killed, but it knocked her out of the fight. He then went over to Brick, broke his back on his knee, then twisted his left arm, breaking his bones in the process, making the leader of the alliance scream like a girl. He then kicked Brick in the head, which luckily for him, was in the part covered by the hat, or he would have been killed. Brick was knocked out and fell to the ground. He then proceeded to Blossom, where he grabbed her hair, spun her around a few times with her long hair, then hit her head, making her pass out. He then went to Butch, punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to double up in pain and to spit blood. He then struck him in the back, and proceeded to savagely beat up the green ruff till he collapsed. He then went to Buttercup, where he grabbed her leg, twisted it, resulting in several smashed bones, then kneed her in the stomach, smashed his fist against her back, though amazingly, her spine didn't break, but caused extreme pain nonetheless. He proceeded to smash her body against the rocky hills, then beat her until she passed out. She then fell to the snow covered ground.

It all happened in forty seconds. He was so fast and so powerful that the others were not able to do anything but watch. The clothes seemed not to protect them, but they reduced their impact. They would certainly would have been dead if it were not for the armor. Alpha was just so powerful that the armor failed in preventing Alpha's attacks from being felt. But it was the clothes that made the five near dead, bleeding, hurt, injured, and unconscious, as opposed to being plainly dead.

"Strange, they should've been dead by now," said Alpha. "Oh well, it's easy to remedy that problem."

Alpha then rose to the sky, and prepared to make a small ball of energy, intending to finish them once and for all. After a few minutes, he made an energy ball the size of a basketball with enough energy to kill the five puffs and ruffs at full health and strength several times over.

He prepared to throw the ball on the five that would once and for all end the five when his cell phone rang.

Alpha was irritated, but nonetheless politely answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Ckracknow. Have you found Delta?"

"I have. He's dead. But I have other news. Good news too!"

"Delta's gone? And tell me, what kind of good news is that?"

Alpha then told him all that happened.

"Excellent!"

"Shall I kill them now?"

"No."

"What? What do you want me to do with them?"

"Get Blossom, and leave the rest."

"Why don't we just kill them and be done with it? Why get that girl?"

"Because, those kids made a mockery of me by rescuing Blossom right under my very nose. Twice—I tell you—twice! They made a fool of me, and I want revenge. I want to shove it to their faces when they wake up and find out that Blossom is again mine! Hahahaahahahaah! All their efforts to rescue her twice will be in vain!"

"But sir, we don't need that. Why not kill them?"

"Because I want to!"

"With all due respect sir, I think you are a bit obsessed with getting Blossom!"

"Alpha, when I want your opinion, I'll ask for it!" Ckracknow shouted. "Besides, it would be boring for us if they're dead. And I assure you, with Blossom in our hands, then they'll definitely attack us, and then, you'll know what you have to do. Besides, killing them right here wouldn't be much suffering for them. Keeping them alive and hopeless, that is more of a punishment to them than being dead!"

"Bur sir, they are a threat as long as they are alive."

"No. They can never catch up with you. They are more of an annoyance than a real threat! No, leave them alive. They're already defeated. We already have won. Let them sulk in defeat! Now, do as I say!"

"But sir…"

"Are you defying my orders?"

"No but…"

"Then get Blossom and get your ass back here. We have to celebrate!"

"Yes sir," Alpha said. He sighed. He didn't want to leave them alive. He just wanted to get it over and kill them. He knew his Master was making a mistake, but orders are orders, and no matter how powerful he became, he cannot go against Ckracknow. He dissipated the energy ball, went among the unconscious kids, picked Blossom among them, and flew back to Citiesville.


	38. Fainting Hope

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 38**

**Fainting Hope**

The Town of Citiesville…

The day ended in an ominous tone, as the hope of the starving masses huddled together for warmth in buildings without electricity further plunged as the temperature dropped in the fury of early winter. But it's not the weather that so dampened the hopes of the citizens of the once great city.

For the pendulum of the mighty struggle between good and evil had swung once again in evil's favor, making ever so distant the memory that just moments before, the good guys stood in the threshold of triumph. Now they were in a situation as black as the darkest night.

Now the gossips and whispers of the citizens, old and young, men and women, rich and poor alike, were pessimistic, as they were witness to the near destruction of our heroes, making their hope of regaining their city, and what was left of those alive, fainter than a star in a bright city night.

Yet not all people in Citiesville were glum, for in a skyscraper near the center of the town, high up in the highest floor, a certain mad scientist and his powerful creation had an air of triumph in them as they strapped an unconscious and battered Blossom on a table.

Alpha was standing besides his master, watching as Ckracknow put bandages around her head. Unlike the others, Blossom suffered relatively light wounds, since Alpha had concentrated on her head and as a result, made her pass out more quickly. And the damage to her head, because of the cap and bow she was wearing, was not that bad, though it certainly hurt the Pink Puff.

After making sure, to his satisfaction, that all of Blossom's injuries were taken care of, and after noting with satisfaction that most of her wounds were superficial, she flipped Blossom on her stomach, took a duranium cuff on the side, pulled her hands together behind her back, and cuffed it. He did the same to her feet. He then strapped an anti-gravity with duranium belt on her, put some goggles over the redheads closed eyes, stuffed her mouth with a rag, and tied a scarf over her mouth.

"Ah, Alpha, what a pleasant day this turned out, eh? Though we lost Delta, seeing your triumph, on balance, it's really good," said Ckracknow with an air of victory. "We lost Blossom early this morning, but we found out the identity of the traitor who's been helping the enemy, and the machine that I built actually works! Now you are far more powerful than they can ever be!"

Alpha was quietly listening to his boss when he noticed something. "Sir, I think that Blossom is waking up."

"Already? Hm, I guess we overestimated her injuries," Ckracknow said. "No matter. She is restrained, so she couldn't do anything. And even if she's not, it wouldn't matter. Ah Blossom, how are you feeling?"

Blossom opened her eyes, and was surprised to discover her location. She thought she was dead. Finding out that she was alive, she learned that she was kidnapped for the third time

'Oh not again,' she groaned as she bit the mass of cloth in her mouth. 'What is it in me that kept getting kidnapped? Golly, I'm really so popular!' she sarcastically thought. 'Not only Brick, but my sisters will really give it to me about my being kidnapped three times in three days! And what does that Ckrackhead want now?'

She lifted her head from the table and saw the two men looking at her, sighed, then put her head back on the table, knowing full well that another rescue would have to be performed. 'But we're no match for Alpha. Oh no! They could be killed if they attempted another rescue! But why didn't he just kill us this afternoon after the fight? Oh well, at least we're alive, and we still have some chance of winning.'

"I take it that you're a bit dizzy, though physically alright. I take it that you're wondering why you're alive, and why you're here?" asked Ckracknow.

"As if!" Blossom said, but it came out as "mmpphh."

"Okay. You see, the reason I kept you alive is that, I figured, it would be more of a punishment for you to be alive, in the knowledge that Alpha and I beat you. Especially you who have revelled in pride in the fact that you are undefeated! If you were killed, oh, it would be not much of a punishment for you kids. Oh no! Oh no! Dying would only release you from the torment and misery of having to live under my boot! And now that your first question is answered, I'll answer the second. I kidnapped you just to irk the rest of you. Ha, to tell you the truth, you were kidnapped by accident the first time. We knew that you'd only send one to take on Major Man. We thought it'd be Boomer, Bubbles, Buttercup, Brick, or Butch, but to our pleasant surprise, it was you, whom I thought until a few hours ago was the leader of the Alliance, whom we bagged! But those pesky kids managed to rescue you and at the same time killed Epsilon! I was infuriated. So I ordered Delta and Alpha to kidnap you anew, and so succeeded, but again, the boys managed to rescue you, against the odds. I was so angry. I was determined to recover you just to shove it into your faces! Yes, you have become a prize by the fact that you escaped my clutches twice! And I'll keep you as long as I want, as a symbol of your defeat! Hahahahahaha!" Ckracknow cackled, swinging his arm in a cartoonish way, laughing in a truly villainous way. "Alpha, make sure she doesn't escape, and don't hurt her!"

* * *

Ckracknow left the room, and went down three floors into an empty room. He made sure nobody can hear him. There, he made an important call using his cell phone.

"Hello? Sir, yes, I want to say that we have won! Yes sir, did you hear me, we won! And I did it eight days before the New Year!" Ckracknow shouted.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to hear that you have finally put my dollars to good use. Anyway, tell me, how did you defeat those do-gooders?" Morebucks asked.

Ckracknow then explained how they won, concluding, "And all those five were beaten up to a pulp, lying on the ground unconscious, near dead, torn up, bleeding! And Alpha took Blossom and left them to rot, and if they survive, they will sulk forever in your shadow!"

"You left them alive?" asked a livid Morebucks.

"Yes. There wasn't any need to kill them, so—"

"WHAT? ARE YOU SOME KIND OF AN IDIOT?" Morebucks shouted on the phone. "No wait, you left them alive, you are some kind of an idiot! Haven't you heard the adage, that it ain't over till the fat lady sings, or that it ain't over till it's really over! Besides, my orders to you, Ckracknow, is to kill them! K-I-L-L kill, not defeat! You could at least have taken all of them if you really didn't want them dead! What are you, some kind of a pansy? And not only those six kids, but Dr. William Knox Edwards and Prof. John Utonium should be dead! You remember the real reason I hired you in the first place? You know, the monster hide that could ruin my business? Failing to steal it, one has to take the next step—kill my opponent, Edwards, to make sure he doesn't have the opportunity to exploit it! And the professor, the only other man to know of it."

"But sir—"

"But nothing! We have not yet won because of your incompetence!"

"Yes sir," a rattled Ckracknow said. "Sir, can I attack Townsville? Because Edwards, Utonium, and the kids are there!"

"No," Morebucks replied.

"But sir—"

"I don't want Townsville, invaded, you hear?"

"But why?"

"Because I live in Townsville, and I have seen what happened to Citiesville. I don't want my home city to suffer the fate that your teen-agers inflicted upon that city. Besides, your attack on the city of Citiesville lowered my profits in this Christmas season. How much more would I lose if you invaded Townsville? No. Keep your hands off this city. But I want you to kill them. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Ckracknow said, and he pocketed his cell phone.

He left the room with a dejected expression, but before he entered the room where Blossom and Alpha was, he fixed his face to give the impression that he was _not _given a sound thrashing by someone even higher in authority. He still had that cocky look on his face that belied the fact of what transpired with Morebucks a few minutes ago.

"Alpha, get ready. I'm sure that those fools will make another rescue attempt on Blossom. Stay with her at all times, and when they arrive, kill them. Fight them if necessary, but in the end, don't let them get away."

"But sir, you told me that—"

"That was then. I want them dead, now!" said Ckracknow.

"Yes sir," said Alpha with a smile on his face.

Blossom had a look of horror on her face.

"Keep Blossom alive. She'll be valuable as a captive," Ckracknow said. "Now, let's celebrate our triumph. You like wine?"

"Yes sir, very much," Alpha replied.

Ckracknow then took a bottle of wine from the refrigerator located in the corner of the room, and took some two glasses from a shelf. Ckracknow and Alpha sat on chairs on opposite sides of a table, and drank.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"It's about time you wake up," was the first thing Brick heard when he opened his eyes. It was Buttercup.

"Oh, my aching body," Brick complained as he noticed his left arm was in a cast, while his back was bandaged to a plank to make sure he wouldn't bend while his back was healing. His forehead was also wrapped with a bandage.

He looked around him and saw that he was in the mediroom. Butch was in another bed, with a plank bandaged to his back too. The rest of his body was covered with bandages. He was wide-awake. Bubbles was luckier. She only had some bandages around her head, but was otherwise fine. She was floating, unlike Brick and Butch who were in bed. She had a sad expression on her face. Buttercup had a cast on her left leg, and covered with bandages all over her body, though she too was floating and staring at Brick. Boomer was also there, with a frown, completely healed from his brush with death in the fight against Delta. Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium were standing in the middle of the room, talking among themselves while observing the kids.

The atmosphere in the room was that of downright gloom. The look on their faces makes one think as if they attended a funeral, and they all knew how narrowly they escaped death. The specter of doom was in all their minds. Their morale was at an all time low, their spirits sunk, and their drive blunted. Their confidence in victory was shattered. Fate dealt them a blow with this cruel twist. They labored hard to defeat each of Alpha's four colleagues, only to find out that Alpha himself was so ridiculously powerful as to make all the previous efforts look like a walk in the park. It seems as if everything was going into the abyss.

"Don't we all?" responded Butch. "Right now, I can't even bend myself."

"I'm glad you're okay, Boomer," Brick said upon laying eyes on his blond brother.

"Yeah, Dad said that it was close, but I sailed through with flying colors. Just minutes ago, Dad removed most of the bandages," Boomer said in a cheerful way, thought it was clear it was forced.

"Where's Blossom?" asked Brick, who noticed her absence.

"She's missing," Prof. Utonium said in a very grave tone. "The others already told me what happened. I know Delta's dead, but that is cold comfort for us."

"She probably was kidnapped for the third time. What happened? Last thing I remember was being beaten by Alpha, then passing out, then waking up here. I thought I was dead."

"Brick, I'm glad you're okay," said Dr. Edwards. "I was afraid we're going to lose you, but I'm glad I was wrong. You were the very last one to revive. Now that you're all awake, I can tell what happened."

"I called them," Butch suddenly interjected. "You see, just after Alpha left, I suddenly had a moment of consciousness, called Dad using my watch, then blacked out again."

"Thank you, Butch, but please, no more interruptions," an irritated Dr. Edwards said. "Anyway, I was in my office at Edtech Corp. HQ, reading some paperwork, when you called. I immediately called the Professor and told him to come to the building and bring medical supplies and told him what Butch said, and he said he'd be right over. I then searched Butch using the office computer and honing in on the homing device installed in his watch. John arrived with the supplies I requested and we went to the top of the HQ where my helicopter was perched. We flew to where you were, and we were shocked."

"Words cannot describe how I felt upon seeing you lying on the ground, beaten up, torn, bloodied," the Professor continued, with emotion. His bit his lip, his eyes sparkled, he breathed deeply before continuing. "William and I feared the worst. That we might be too late. Dreading the prospects, I checked on the girls, and William his sons."

By this time, Prof. Utonium stopped, as his hands shook and his breathing quickened, and his voice faltered when he tried to continue, his entire being overcome with emotion.

Dr. Edwards, who was less emotional than his friend, continued. He had a gaunt, serious expression on his face, his mouth in a scowl, his eyes on fire, but his bearing and his voice, calm. "I checked on you and Butch, and you two were an absolute mess. It was a relief to check your breathing and your heart beat, and finding out that you're not dead. The only thing to survive the beating intact were your armored clothes, and I dare say, it was what kept you alive. I took the bandages from the Professor, wrapped you up as I can in the snow covered hill dotted plain, and put you on stretchers that we brought with us. Luckily, it wasn't snowing and the sun was shining, so it wasn't so hard. The Professor did the same for his daughters, but we noticed that Blossom was missing. Worried, we searched the entire area for her, and we didn't find her. We suspected that she was again kidnapped, and it was confirmed when we tried to locate her using the homing device on her watch."

"The Professor and I put you in the helicopter, and we flew back. We examined each and every one of you, and treated you according to your injuries. It took a while, but Bubbles was the first one to recover, then Buttercup, then Butch, and finally you. Boomer here already recovered a few hours ago."

After the explanation, there was silence in the room for a few minutes, as they began to think of their situation. Dr. Edwards and the Professor, satisfied that they're okay, went back to the lab.

* * *

"This sucks!" Buttercup said after ten minutes of contemplative silence. "I mean, all our hard work, all we did to get the other four ground to the dust was for nothing! Nothing, I tell you! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Because Alpha is so darn strong that nothing we can do will matter. And they got Blossom to boot!"

"I hate to agree with her, but she's right," Butch said. "How the hell do we win? Brick, what is your master plan?"

"I'm not sure. I've been thinking, but things aren't pretty for us," Brick replied. "We need to make an honest assessment. First, what are things that don't favor us?"

"Oh, let's see. We were beaten to a pulp by Alpha, who is so strong we have no chance at all," Butch started.

"Alpha is so ridiculously powerful," Bubbles said. "I don't think we can beat him."

"Blossom was kidnapped for the third time," Boomer said. "And Ckracknow probably learned his lessons on how to properly guard a hostage."

"And the codes would have been changed," Buttercup said.

"And what's going on for us?" asked the redhead.

"Well, we're alive!" Bubbles said. "And as long as we're alive, we can still win!"

"We still have Mr. Shippe to help us," Boomer said. "And Cychaela, Beta, Delta and Epsilon are no more."

"And as far as I know, Townsville is still off limits to Alpha," Butch concluded. "That means we can hide out here as long as we can."

"Yeah, but what about Blossom?" Buttercup asked.

"So now we know while that our situation isn't that bad, it isn't quite as good as it was a few hours ago. We were back in square one, the same spot we were on December 10. Back then, we have absolutely no chance of beating any of the _five_, and look at us now! We were able to kill _four _of the five—Beta, Cychaela, Delta and Epsilon. So we expected Alpha to be only slightly more powerful than the others. We're wrong, but we can still play the game we played before. Hide out in Townsville, and bide our time till we're strong enough to beat him. One problem with that plan, though."

"Blossom!" Bubbles said.

"Yup! You hit the nail right on the head! We have to rescue her, and at the moment, I have no idea on how to successfully pull it off. Any ideas?"

"Well, maybe we could just leave her there and—okay, okay, I'm just kidding!" Butch said.

"Not funny," Buttercup said.

"Well, maybe aliens would invade and kill Alpha?" Boomer suggested.

"Or maybe Alpha will realize the error of his ways and convert to good and bring Blossom back to us?" Bubbles added.

"Or maybe we could find a genie who will just make them disappear!" Buttercup continued.

"Or maybe Alpha would have a heart attack and drop dead? Seriously, is there any thing you could think of?" Brick asked. "Something that might actually work?"

There was silence.

"Guess we'll have to wait if Mr. Shippe calls and see if he can help us," the redheaded leader sadly concluded.

And they spent the rest of the night till dinner making small talk with each other to lighten the grim atmosphere of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Dr. Edwards and Prof. Utonium walked down the stairs. "I'll open my package first before going to the lab, I think," said William. "It arrived early this afternoon. Strange that it had no return address and had no name to indicate whom this was from. Want to see what it is?"

"Why not?" said Utonium.

Both men went to the low table in the middle of the living room. On top of it was a brown box held by duct tape. It was ten inches high, long, and wide. They opened the box, and it was filled with salt.

"What? Salt?" Edwards asked. He then began sifting the salt with his finger when he saw something brown on a ball. Digging still, he found that it was hair. Utonium then pulled the hair, and his face turned white upon what he saw.

Dangling by Prof. Utonium's hand by the hair, was the severed head of Harry Shippe. It was completely white, with all blood completely drained. His lifeless eyes were wide open, staring directly at the two men.

Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium were completely shocked. Dr. Edwards froze at the sight, while Professor Utonium, staggered back and fell to the floor, his hand clutching the head frozen stiff for a few seconds. Both men's eyes were fixed on the head.

Then, the Professor suddenly let go of the head, and it rolled on the floor.

"Oh shit!" Dr. Edwards said.

"Look, a note taped the back of his head," a rattled Professor noticed.

"I'll get it," Dr. Edwards said, and his hands shaking, took the paper from the back of his head.

It read.

_The Goose is Cooked – F. Ckracknow_

"So he found out! That bastard!" Dr. Edwards said.

"Oh I hate that guy!" the Professor said.

"I don't know about you, but the kids should not see this head," Dr. Edwards said.

"Don't disagree with you there," Dr. Edwards said. "We better put the head back on the box, and bury this."

The Professor merely nodded as he put the head back on the box of salt and sealed it with duct tape.

The two men went to the forest, where they held an impromptu funeral, with the Professor carrying a bible and Edwards playing the minister, before they buried the box. They put a wooden cross with Harry's name on it, and the date of his birth (as submitted by Harry on his resume) and his date of death. They vowed to transfer him to a cemetery complete with a tombstone if they survived the crisis. After which, they went back to the house as if nothing had happened, though both were shaken by the incident.

* * *

It was ten in the evening…

Dinner was over for about two hours, and it was about the time that the four were completely healed. Dr. Edwards and the Professor carefully removed the bandages and planks and casts from the kids. As usual, the chemical X in their body made healing extremely fast and complete, and in case of life threatening injuries, only in a matter of hours in contrast to the weeks or even months that it would have taken if the kids were normal human beings.

"How do you feel?" asked Dr. Edwards.

The fact that they again completely recovered from their injuries completely restored their morale, and they regained the confidence they had lost when they were thrashed in a lopsided battle that had happened earlier in the day.

"I feel good," Butch said as he flew rapidly in the room.

"Yeah, just like before, I am again as good as new!" Brick said.

"Yup! You're right, boys! I feel great!" Bubbles said.

"Well, since you feel good, you won't object to me doing this!" Buttercup said, and in a huff, punched both Brick and Butch, knocking the wind out of both of them.

"Ha Ha!" Buttercup boasted. "I thought you two were alright!" and laughed at them.

"Very funny!" Butch replied, irritated.

"That was very good! Congratulations!" Brick said, slapping Buttercup in a friendly manner, but in such a way that it hurt Buttercup and caused her to fall to the floor.

"Ouch!" Buttercup said. "Why you, I'll—"

"Stop this horsing around!" shouted Dr. Edwards.

The kids stopped the banter.

"We have very grave news," Dr. Edwards started. "Harry Shippe is dead. Ckracknow found out he's really spying for us, and he killed him."

"But…but…how'd you find out?" asked a disbelieving Brick.

"He sent us this letter, and this note, and a lock of his blood-stained hair," Professor Utonium said. He showed the note where _The Goose is Cooked _is written, and a lock of brown hair with blood on it.

Bubbles face turned to white when she saw the hair and froze. Tears began forming in her eyes.

Buttercup was not impressed. "How do we know that that lock of hair is Mr. Shippe's? I mean, Mr. Shippe isn't the only one in this god-forsaken land to have brown hair! It is just a prank!"

"We made DNA tests," Dr. Edwards lied. "Want to see the results?"

"Nevermind, I believe you," Buttercup said, dismayed.

"Oh shit. There goes my plan," Brick dejectedly said.

"He was such a nice man," Bubbles said, and she suddenly hugged Professor Utonium. "Why did he have to die?"

"He knew what he was doing, and he knew the risks," Professor Utonium said, comforting Bubbles, hugging her back. "His death is tragic, but to expect him to be completely safe would be to deceive oneself. Still, his death was not in vain. Because of him, we were able to rescue Blossom the second time. It's like you battling evil monsters and evil villains. You know that it is a risk, that in every battle, there is a chance, however small, that one of you might not come back alive. All of you, Shippe included, in this mighty war, are like soldiers sent into battle for one's country. One knows one has to do his duty, despite the risk. We salute Mr. Harry Shippe, a truly noble soul, who, because of his sacrifice, moved us one step closer to our ultimate triumph over evil."

It was a moving tribute, done by an emotional Professor Utonium while hugging a crying Bubbles. Buttercup lost control and joined in the bawling, while Dr. Edwards and his sons simply bowed their heads in silence, not a tear dropped, but not short on emotion, as their face's expressions showing a mix of anger and grief, with anger predominating.

Dr. Edwards then gave a prayer for Mr. Shippe.

"We will avenge Mr. Shippe!" Brick proclaimed, his face twisted in determination. "The die has been cast, and there's no turning back! We will rescue Blossom, and then, we will train till we overcome Alpha's advantage in strength!"

"Yeah! Kill the bastards!" Boomer shouted as a battlecry, even while the girls were still crying.

"Rip them limb from limb!" Butch said, outdoing his brother in shouting.

"Kill the bastards!" Boomer shouted again. "Okay, what's your plan to rescue that red-headed girl, Brick?"

"Yeah, my plan. I have a frickin' plan! I'll tell it to you tomorrow morning," Brick said.

"Well, at least you remembered Blossom," Buttercup said, drying her tears.

"Well, only to enhance my reputation as a leader," Brick replied. "Not because I care, or I'm becoming soft, but because it is in my best interests to do it!"

"You sound defensive Brick," Buttercup teased.

"Well, thanks anyway," Bubbles said.

"Oh yeah, one more thing, boys," Buttercup said. "Kick the crap out of those stinkin' bastards!"

And they talked themselves to sleep, the mood one for retaliation while in grief, while the men went and hit the sack.

* * *

It was December 24, the day before Christmas, at about one in the morning…

Dr. Edwards was rolled up in his blankets, enjoying his sleep. He was wearing blue striped pyjamas, and was as sound asleep as a bear in winter.

His room, in the second floor of his home, was an averaged sized room. The bed's head was against the wall. On that wall itself was a portrait of himself. The other walls have various pictures, mostly of his sons, his father, his mother, a family picture, and on the table besides the bed, was the picture of his beautiful but deceased wife, who died six years before at the age of 24. Besides the picture was a land phone and fax machine. The floor itself was carpeted, the walls painted light blue, and various books and papers were scattered. His study table was untidy, with various books, papers, candy and junk food wrappers, and office materials scattered on top of it.

The door itself squeaked as it opened. The light in the hallway quickly revealed the intruder as Brick, as he quietly closed the door. He floated on towards the bed and shook his father.

"Dad, Dad," he said, trying to wake him up.

"Huh, what, Brick, what, you had a bad dream? Well, you can't sleep here," his father groggily said.

"It's not that," Brick replied. "Dad, could you help me with something?"

"Can't it wait?" asked his father. "It's one in the morning for crying out loud!"

"No Dad, it can't. It's really important!" Brick said.

"Oh what the hell. I'll listen," Dr. Edwards said. He got up, stretched, yawned, wiped the sand from his eyes, put on his thick glasses and sat on the side of his bed. "Okay son, come sit on my lap."

"Thanks Dad," Brick said. He then sat on his father's lap.

"Okay, what's your problem?" asked his father.

"Well Dad, remember when I said that I've got a plan to rescue Blossom?"

"Yes I do. You're going to tell me early?"

"No. Well, actually, I don't have a plan, and I can't think of one," Brick said. "And I want you to help me make one, or I won't have anything to show for all my talk."

"That's all? Well, I've been thinking a plan of my own lately, but I was reluctant to tell it to you since I don't want to be seen as dictating strategy and upstaging you, my son. I want you to be seen as a leader, as someone who can think on his own. And I also thought you really had a plan!"

"Well, I don't. But please don't tell others that it was really your plan!" asked Brick.

"Don't worry about it," said Dr. Edwards.

"Okay, Dad, what's your plan?"

"Well, Ckrackpow certainly will have extra security for Blossom. Now taking the lessons of the past two rescues, what do you suppose Trucknow will do? That's right! Keep Alpha on Blossom's side! Now, you can't do what you did the first time Blossom was rescued, because Alpha's too strong and too fast and probably too wise to fall for old tricks. And we can't do the second because Shippe is dead. So we can't sneak in. So what do we do? We lure Alpha from Blossom. But he won't leave Blossom's side because he'll know that the minute he does that, one of you'll make a dramatic rescue. So how can we lure Alpha from Blossom? Simple, by convincing him that none of you are actually going to rescue Blossom."

"Great Dad, so how are we going to do it?"

"You five will go to Citiesville, challenge him to a fight, then go to some deserted place. Since all of you are going there, he wouldn't have reason to fear that one of you would be going in and rescuing Blossom? See?"

"Wow! But how about us? Wouldn't we be killed?" asked Brick.

"That's the risk. It's a very grave risk, son, but we can pull this off. Make a very long speech, or something, delay the fight as long as you can. Make the location of your fight as close as to Townsville as possible. And make sure he doesn't return to Citiesville until I give the signal!"

"Huh, what does that mean?"

"Well, when Alpha's is gone, the mouse is going to play! I'm going to sneak to the building, and rescue Blossom myself. I'm not sure if they'll keep Blossom in the same security room. If not, then it's well and good. If she is, then I'll simply force Ckracktow to do it!"

"But Dad, it's too risky, you can't risk your life Dad, you know—"

"Son, we have to rescue Blossom first, right?"

"Right!"

"And you don't have any other plans that could work?"

"No Dad."

"And the risk of inaction is greater, and we can agree that we can't let Blossom be in Ckracrow's hands for long?"

"Yes Dad, but—"

"Look, the alternative to not doing this is far more horrible than risking our lives for it. If we die tomorrow trying to save her, then we will die heroes, and for a worthy cause, but if we let her rot away in Ckracknow's clutches, it would be our greatest shame, our dishonor!" Dr. Edwards proclaimed. "Besides, I'm your Dad, and what I say will be done! Understand?"

"Yes Dad," Brick said, defeated. "We'll do it at daylight."

"Now go to sleep!" Dr. Edwards said. "It's half past one, you know. Good night."

With that, the scientist went back to bed. And so did Brick.

* * *

Later, at six in the morning…

"Are you nuts? You're putting your own father at risk!" Buttercup shouted after hearing the plan.

It was early morning, and the kids were preparing for breakfast. They were already dressed, and Brick had just told them of his Dad's plan. Of course, he took credit for it.

"Yeah! Why involve Dad?" Butch said.

"Do you have any better plans?" asked Brick. "And Buttercup, do you want your sister to be rescued? The odds of succesfully rescuing her are against us, but with this plan, there is a chance! I know it is risky, but as they say, no guts! No glory!"

Boomer was adamant. "But Dad is—"

"Willing and able," Dr. Edwards said, appearing suddenly. He was fully dressed too, in his usual gray suit, red tie, gray great coat, and hat. "Brick earlier told me of his brilliant plan, and I can't help but volunteer myself for the crucial task! No. Don't blame Brick. I insisted on being the one who would rescue Blossom from that building, and he doesn't have a choice."

"Volunteer for what plan?" Professor Utonium, who walked with the Professor in the living room, dressed in his white lab coat and tie, curiously asked.

Dr. Edwards then told Professor Utonium of the plan.

"Great! I'll go with you, William!"

"What? It's risky! It's dangerous! It's not worth it!" William Edwards argued, trying to dissuade his friend.

"Look, Blossom is my daughter, and if there is any one who have more right to go on this mission alone, it's me!" the Professor defiantly said.

"Okay, you can come," Dr. Edwards said, as he saw the determination of his friend's eyes.

"But Professor, you can't—" Bubbles began.

"But I will. I'll do anything to save my daughter! And nothing you say or do will make me do otherwise, understand?"

The Professor had that look of determination in his eyes that said that nothing would stop him from doing what he wanted. The girls saw that they could do nothing short of physically preventing him from doing it.

"Yes, Professor," Buttercup and Bubbles said.

* * *

Later in the morning, at about nine in the morning…

Alpha and Ckracknow had just finished breakfast. Alpha had earlier spoon-fed Blossom, after which he put back the rag into her mouth and duct-tape over her lips. They were relaxing in the 75th floor in a couch, with a squirming Blossom on the carpeted floor. Alpha, at all times, kept one eye on Blossom.

Suddenly, out on the window, they saw five kids, three boys, and two girls, floating defiantly in the air.

"Hey Alpha, we challenge you to a fight!" Brick shouted. "All five of us, or are you chicken?"

"They've gone insane!" Ckracknow exclaimed. "Just yesterday, they were given a sound thrashing! And the very next day, they want the same? Oh well, let's not complain about our enemies' stupidity! Go Alpha, and kill them!"

"Yes sir," Alpha said. "But what about Blossom?"

"Oh don't worry about her. They would be preoccupied with you. Just don't let any one of them out of your sight, or one of them might come here and take her away from me."

"Don't worry sir. I'm fast enough for them. And I'll be wearing my shades so that they won't be able to use that sunball trick again," Alpha said before going out.

"So you want a fight?" asked Alpha as he met his challengers. "So you weren't going to hide in Townsville after all! You're braver than I thought. And even more stupid."

"Well, let's not waste our time. But first, I think we fight in another place, since I don't like fighting in cities," Brick requested.

"Why not? It won't matter where we fight. I'm still going to beat you all."

"Okay, follow us," Brick said.

The six then flew to a deserted plain about ten miles east of Citiesville. The kids flew so slowly that it took them ten minutes to reach it.

"No, I think I know a better place for our fight," the red ruff suddenly said.

He then led Alpha into a deserted mountain range fifteen miles west of Citiesville in thirty minutes...

"I think the hills 60 miles south of Citiesville would be a better location," the leader of the alliance suddenly said.

At the hills 60 miles south of Citiesville, fourteen miles and twenty minutes later…

"I change my mind. I think a better place to fight would be at a ghost town 36 miles North of Citiesville…"

At the ghost town thirty five minutes later…

"No. I know a much better place! Follow me!"

The kids then led Alpha to a land of rolling and lifeless hills, on a location only two miles southwest of Townsville. The zigzag course of the kids ultimately confused Alpha, and he never knew that he was just two miles from Townsville.

"This is the place! Now we fight!" Brick said.

"Finally! I thought you'd go over the entire country first!" Alpha remarked.

"But before, we'd like to make some remarks before we can start this fight," Brick said.

"Whatever. It won't make any difference!"

"Alpha, and Mr. Ckracknow, I'd like to say something," Bubbles began, reading her text from a piece of paper. "You reign of terror will soon end, because we will defeat you. This will be your last battle, and we will be victorious. We may be weaker than you, we may be slower, but we have right on our side! Right makes might! Remember that we were weaker than Epsilon, Delta, Cychaela, and Beta. Where are they now? You will be the same. You have committed outrages that shame the villains like Mojo and Him. You have killed thousands, no millions! You wont' get away with it. You have power, but you are evil!"

Bubbles read it as slowly as she could in order to buy as much time as possible.

"I'm doing this for Townsville, and it's honorable citizens who are outraged by your actions," she continued.

Bubbles then took a thick phone book that was carried by Butch, and began reading names.

"Mr. John Aabalert, of 145 Cook Street, is outraged at you. Mrs. Ellis Aaberna, of 652 Blog Corner, is outraged at you. Dr. Zachary Aablerny, of 487 DWS street, is outraged at you. Mrs. Stephanie Aackensky, of Room 45 of the seventh floor, of Hilton Apartments on the corner of 5th avenue and 8th lane, is outraged by you. Mr. Johannes Aadlerdy, of 85 Lockart Street, is outraged by you. Mrs. Katie Aadrecy of 64 North Drive, is outraged by you. Mr. Joseph Kenneth Peterson Aadvark, is outraged by you. Miss Patricia Allen Aagrob, of 64 Leonard Wood Road, is outraged by you…"

And it went on and on, Bubbles reading the names of each citizen of Townsville, and how all of them are outraged at Alpha. Surprisingly, Alpha patiently waited for Bubbles to finish. 'She'll tire eventually,' though the powerful clone.

* * *

Meanwhile, later in the morning…

A boat landed on the bank of Citiesville Island. On the boat were Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium. There was light snow falling. Navigating through the ice filled lake was no easy task, and several times, they nearly lost their lives to the strong, cold current.

It was a curious sight. All the other boats, the ones that emerged now that Alpha was away, were headed toward the mainland, and only their boat was going the opposite direction. People fleeing could only wonder why they would want to go back to the hell-hole that was Citiesville.

They landed without incident, and they quickly made their way to Ckracknow's skyscraper. They entered the first floor, where they encountered some of the guards. They quickly took care of the problem, knocking them out if possible, shooting and killing them if necessary. After that, they proceeded to the elevator, and went to the 75th floor.

Ferguson Ckacknow was reading some novel in his couch when he noticed someone going up the elevator. 'I wonder what those guards want now?' he asked himself.

He was very surprised when the elevator door opened and two men he knew so well pointed .45 pistols at him.

"Blossom!" shouted the Professor when he saw Blossom bound, squirming with pleading eyes, on the carpet.

"Ckrackpow, the Professor is going to get Blossom. One move out of you and I'll stuff your body with lead."

The Professor went and cautiously picked up Blossom.

"Ckrackbow, you come with us," Dr. Edwards said, pointing the gun at him.

Ckracknow, fearing for his life, complied. The two scientists took him to the elevator, and closely guarded the little man. They strutted him out of the building, and towards the edge of the lake.

Upon reaching the edge of the lake, Ckracknow suddenly reached a gun on his coat, and to the surprise of both men and Blossom, shot Dr. Edwards, missing his head by an inch. Dr. Edwards, a better shot, fired back, and hit Ckracknow in the hand, forcing him to drop his gun.

Dr. Edward then walked to him, and pointed the barrel of his gun to Ckracknow's forehead. Ckracknow, in pain, dropped to the ground as his eyes showed fear.

"Please don't kill me!" Ckracknow pleaded.

"You have no reason live, you bastard," Dr. Edwards said.

"Don't kill me! I'll tell you a secret. I'm not really in charge you know. Someone is giving orders to me! And his name is—"

But he didn't finish, since Dr. William Edwards squeezed the trigger, and a second later, Ckracknow was dead, lying on his own pool of blood.

"You even try to pass the blame to others," Dr. Edwards said. "What a bastard!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Mr. Peter Balry of 145 Washington Street is outraged by you," Bubbles continued. "Mrs. Joan Balser of 5 Harrison Road is outraged by you…"

Alpha was looking at his watch. 'Why the heck are they delaying the start of the fight? I mean, reading all the names on the phone book? What the heck is she trying to do? Unless…oh shit!'

"Nice try," Alpha suddenly said. "Gotta go home! Bye!"

He then flew back to Citiesville.

* * *

"Damn! He's on to us!" Buttercup shouted.

"Well, let's catch up with him. Maybe we could still salvage the situation from utter disaster!" said Boomer. "Dad is in grave danger."

"Okay!" the rest said, and they flew after Alpha.

Alpha arrived, and saw, just in time, Ckracknow's death. He then saw Dr Edwards, after killing Ckracknow, empty a cartridge of bullets in his head, making it a mass of unidentifiable flesh, as his brains were scattered across the ground.

"Master!" Alpha shouted. He, in anger, then fired a weak laser from his pointing finger at the Doctor.

The laser struck Dr. Edwards in the chest, slammed him to a nearby building, causing it to collapse on him, all six storeys of it.

"William!" Professor Utonium shouted.

At that moment, the five kids arrived, just in time to witness Dr. Edwards being struck by the laser in the chest and see the buildings collapse around him.

"DAD!" the three boys simultaneously exclaimed.

"You, you monster! You—"

"Killed him? Of course. That laser is weak. But then again, so is your father. He is just a human, and it struck his heart. I know. I am very accurate. And now, his body is crushed beyond recognition by the rubble which fell on him. He's dead. Dr William Edwards is dead!"

"You stinking bastard! You vile creature! You'll pay for this!" Butch said, with absolute rage in his eyes.

"He was all to us, all that we have, and you took him away from us?" Boomer said. "We will avenge you Dad, or die trying!"

"And this time, we won't back down!" Brick shouted at the top of his voice, his very being consumed with emotion. Words cannot describe how furious, how devastated, how sad, how angry the boys were. Heaven help whoever would be subjected to that kind of anger from the Rowdyruff Boys.

This time, all talk of retreating back to Townsville were gone as the boys were consumed by a desire for revenge right then and there, and they don't seem to care that it was suicidal to do so. They just got to have their revenge.

"And you can't retreat to Townsville, you know. Master Ckracknow is dead, killed by your father. With him dead, nobody can restrain me from following you home. Flee to that city, and I'll destroy it!" Alpha said.

It was a very dark moment for the good guys.

And the stage for the final battle has begun.


	39. Final Battle

To **Guest** and once again **PPAGXRRB 4EVA,** thanks for your review. Please keep reviewing!

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 39**

**Final Battle**

The Town of Citiesville, and the Rowdyruff Boys had just watched the horror of seeing their father being hit in the chest by laser and being buried in the rubble of a collapsing six storey concrete building.

Since Dr. Edwards was only an ordinary human, not a superman with Chemical X, it was certain, to the ruffs' mind, that he perished, if not from the laser blast, then from the collapsing concrete. Dr. Edwards was buried in a heap of rubble, his body, all believed, utterly crushed.

If there was any doubt about his fate, then the bodies of people who were unlucky enough to be in the building when it collapsed dispelled it. Some of them were merely wounded, but the overwhelming majority of them were dead at the first few seconds, and blood spilt from the rubble of the building.

The kids were as mad as hell, and none more so than the Rowdyruff Boys. Their faces were successively disbelieving, shocked, livid, angry, and then enraged, as they saw what they believed was the death of their most beloved figure in their lives.

"Dad!" Brick shouted, with emotion clear in his voice.

"No! No! No! This can't be! This can't be! No, it can't be happening!" Boomer shouted. "He can't be dead!"

"But he is," Alpha said, yawning. "Maybe you're slow, so I'll repeat it to you. I, using a very weak laser, hit him in the chest. Now, it won't have any effect if it hit you or the girls, because of your powers. But since Mr. Edwards himself is human, it would pierce through him and put a hole in his heart. And if he survived that, those falling rubble would finish him off."

"And we can't retreat to Townsville!" Bubbles added.

"This sucks! This really really sucks! What else could go wrong?" Buttercup exclaimed.

"You will pay! And mark my words Alpha, you will pay!" Brick shouted. "You will not leave this day alive! Never! Never!"

"And," Butch added, "even if you can't follow us to Townsville, we won't back down. We won't run! We won't flail! We won't fail! We will crush you like we did the others!"

"You awful awful monster! You son of a bitch! You piece of manure! You piece of shit! You are worst than the vilest villain we ever met before!" Boomer said.

"Ah! Such emotion. Such passion. Well, if you really want a drubbing, then you'll get it! But before we fight, I want to thank your father for something."

"Thank Dad?" asked Boomer in puzzlement.

"Yes. He killed Master Ckracknow. He put about a dozen bullets through his head, I remember! Well, you might be wondering why I said that, given my loyalty to my master?" asked Alpha. "Well, I was loyal. He was my creator, and as long as he was alive, he bore my allegiance, my obedience, my deference. He was my lord, my liege, my director and such. But, that said, I realized that he was a drag, an obstacle, a barrier in realizing my true greatness and potential. He sometimes makes erroneous conclusions, like when he thought Blossom was the leader, or make wrong decisions, when he ordered you not killed yesterday, or sometimes acts irrationally, like when he repeatedly ordered Blossom kidnapped even though it will do us no good. So when your father killed him, it actually was a good thing, more so that it was not me who did it."

"And," Alpha continued, "given that, you really should have thanked me for killing your Dad, since he too, was inhibiting you!"

That last remark was the last straw for the boys, as their face became as read as Brick's hair. "That's it!" Brick shouted, as he and his brothers wore their super shades, put the lever at 5, and attacked Alpha using their laser eyes. Of course, when the smoke lifted, Alpha, who just stood there high in the sky, was unaffected. Brick then barraged him with multiple laser blasts that were much weaker than his lever 5 laser eyes.

At the same time, Butch and Boomer went to where Alpha was. Boomer swung his fist towards Alpha's left temple, while Butch tried kicking him in the groin. Alpha effortlessly blocked both thrusts. Counterattacking, he grabbed Boomer's leg and Butch by the wrists, and threw them towards the path of Brick's laser blasts. Brick's brothers were hit, and both fell to the ground.

Angry, Brick made a gigantic power ball from his hand, as large as a one-storey building, and threw it at Alpha. Alpha extended his right hand, and when the energy touched his hand, it dissipated.

Alpha smirked, Brick scowled.

In the meantime, Boomer and Butch came from below, and hit him with powerful laser eyes—again at lever 5 in the shades—and it did exactly nothing to hurt him. Not to be deterred, both brothers attacked, but it proved abortive when Alpha grabbed Boomer by the foot and threw him at Butch, sending both spiralling towards the ground.

Brick flew fast towards Alpha. Inches from him, to Alpha's surprise, he stopped, then blew a soft cold breath on the villain. Seconds later, he was covered with ice.

Brick smirked, and he gave a powerful kick, expecting Alpha to fall. To his astonishment, Alpha remained immobile. Instead, his kick cracked the ice, and Alpha shook off the rest. Quickly removing the look of amazement on his face, Brick tried kicking Alpha on the head. Alpha blocked it with his arm. Brick then tried to punch him using his left, but Alpha blocked it with his arm. Brick then tried a right, but it too was blocked. Brick, at such close range then made another lever 5 laser eye attack. There was a terrific explosion. Brick backed up a bit, expecting to see at least a bruise on his powerful opponent. Smoke engulfed the silver haired warrior, but when it lifted, he had not a scratch on him. The look on Brick's face indicated amazement and disbelief.

Seconds later, Alpha was hit by two balls of energy, both very large, from below. Looking down, Brick saw his two brothers, each with a look of rage and desperation on their faces, hoping for the best when hope was as faint as a star in a bright city night. It was dashed when for the third time, Alpha emerged from the explosion and smoke still as shiny as a newly shined shoe.

The boys then lashed out at Alpha, unleashing their rage. Brick kicked him in the head, but it had no effect whatsoever other than hurting his own foot. At the same time, Boomer, attacking from below, slammed his head against Alpha's stomach. It only got him a bump on the head as his stomach was as hard as steel. Butch went and punched him hard at his back, but his own knuckles nearly cracked. Backing up, they attacked again. Brick, Boomer, and Butch, from three different directions, slammed themselves against Alpha. This time, Alpha just got out of the way with a fraction of a second to spare, and the three hit each other in a spectacular collision. The crash was so strong that they fell back to the ground, just before a watching Buttercup and Bubbles.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Doctor…" Bubbles said, as she saw what happened, and flew towards the wrecked building, but the sight of other bodies among the rubble so sickened her that she turned away, unable to bear all the blood, and sobbed, crying her heart out.

"Bubbles," Buttercup, who followed her, said. "It's okay."

"No it's not!" Bubbles said, shaking Buttercup's shoulder. "How could it be? How can it be all right? Look at that? All those people in the rubble! All dead! How can Dr. Edwards, who is at the bottom of the rubble, be alive, when those above it are dead? Oh Buttercup, I can't believe he's gone. I can't! I can't! I can't! But he is! What will happen to the boys? Will they turn evil again? Why does he have to die? Why? Why! Why!"

After that, she hugged her sister and buried her head in her sister's shoulder. Buttercup's dress at the right shoulder soon was wet as tears flowed from Bubbles eyes like water from a mountain spring.

"He's a very good man. He actually changed the boys from bad to good. It's not fair, it really isn't," Buttercup said as she comforted Bubbles. "He died for a worthy cause, and, he's such a great man!"

She burst into tears as grief overcame her, and both sisters hugged each other, comforting each other like they always do in a crisis. They slowly drifted to the ground, and they didn't even notice that they weren't flying anymore, but on their own two feet on solid ground.

After five minutes of sobbing, Buttercup looked up into the sky, and caught a glimpse of the boys fight Alpha. At once, the look of sadness and grief in her face turned into anger and determination.

She quickly dried her tears. "Bubbles, look. The boys are not moping like us. They are avenging their father's death. Look at them! Even though they are the ones most affected, they attacked. Even though they have absolutely no chance, they attacked! And look at us, bawling! Let's kick Alpha's butt to avenge Dr. Edwards, and cry when the job is done."

Bubbles dried her tears. "You're right, Buttercup. We should do something."

At that moment, the three boys landed at their feet, after colliding with each other. They ignored the two teary eyed girls and went back on the attack, trying to hurt Alpha for what he did. Their anger and rage was so great that they were able to ignore all the pain they felt from accidentally hitting each other. They flew back, intending to avenge their Dad or die trying.

Buttercup and Bubbles looked at each other, and nodded, as if they knew by instinct what was to be done. They closely followed the boys.

Butch stopped halfway between Alpha and the ground, and attacked with a powerful laser eye beam, at lever 5, while Brick and Boomer continued on. Buttercup stopped to where Butch was, put her shades on lever 5, and added her own laser eye to Butch's. Bubbles followed the other two boys.

Bubbles, Boomer and Brick went to three sides of Alpha when Butch's beam hit him, followed a second later by Buttercup's beam. Bubbles, Boomer and Brick immediately attacked Alpha. Brick made a kicked aimed at Alpha's head, which Alpha deftly dodged, while Bubbles used her sonic scream. The thing with this was Alpha wasn't a bit affected, while Boomer, who came to join the attack, was forced to cover his ears, as did Butch and Brick and Buttercup.

"Will you stop the bleedin' racket!" shouted Brick. "I didn't bring my earplugs y'know. And Alpha's the target, not us!"

"Oops, sorry," Bubbles apologized. "Attack!" she screamed, and went and tried kicking Alpha in the side. Her war cry immediately caused everyone to start attacking Alpha once again.

But Alpha went up higher than everyone else, pointed his right palm at the five, and fired a small energy ball. It floated in the middle of the five, and exploded.

After the dust settled from the explosion, Citiesville witnessed the fall of the five to the ground. Luckily, not one of them fell to the icy lake. However, everything else was bad. As they stood up and looked at Alpha, they had a defiant air upon them as their eyes showed no let up of determination. But it could not conceal the fact that they were bruised, mauled, and bleeding.

Brick had a cut on his head, and the dripping blood soon made his appearance redder than it already was. His face and neck had several bruises, and there were four cuts in his body, unnoticed because the hardetal clothes itself were undamaged, and the red coat, and sweatshirt he was wearing mitigated the damage. The explosion weakened him.

Butch's plight was more evident as his green shirt shouted the fact that he had a wound on his left shoulder. His left arm narrowly escaped becoming a mere limp. His face was as black as can be from the soot and was covered with blood from bruises and wounds all over his head. His breathing was heavy, and like his leader, he was weakened.

Boomer was in slightly better shape. He had no cuts, but his body was aching from the effects of the explosion. By sheer will, he ignored it as he focused his attention on revenge. He had a dozen or so bruises in his body, just like his brothers.

Buttercup was in the same boat as Boomer. Her entire body ached as it painfully absorbed the shocks administered by the explosion. She stood defiant, but weak, her body full of scars and bruises and small wounds.

Bubbles was in no better shape. She had a terrible cut at her forehead at the hairline, causing a trickle of blood to cover her face. She, however, had the presence of mind to take a handkerchief from her pocket and wrap it around her wound.

Even though that single explosion weakened them considerably, the five kids—still enraged and burning with a desire for vengeance—immediately attacked. Brick and Bubbles made laser attacks with their hands, while the other three plunged towards Alpha. Needless to say, the laser barrage did not hurt Alpha one bit. Butch kicked Alpha hard in the stomach. At the same time Buttercup elbowed Alpha in the head. Boomer punched him in the back. As before, those attacks hurt the attacker much more than Alpha.

The three kids backed away as they prepared to attack once more. Below them, Brick and Bubbles were still giving the barrage of laser. Again, from three directions, they attacked, charging like a bull seeing the red cape of a matador. And just like a matador, Alpha deftly removed himself from his location seconds before the three struck, and as a result, Butch, Buttercup and Boomer again collided with each other. To make things worst, the barrage of laser from Brick and Bubbles hit them. Then, Alpha suddenly appeared behind Brick and Bubbles, grabbed them by the hand, and threw them towards Buttercup, Butch and Boomer, resulting in a five-way collision. Before they could recover, Alpha slapped them with the back of his hand, sending them careening towards the ground.

Again they hit the ground. More bloodied. Weakened. In greater pain. With less energy. But it was the testament of their rage and their desire to hit back, that even though—from any sensible person's point of view—they had no chance whatsoever, they still kept at it. Their emotions clouded their judgment. Even the normally cautious, calm, unemotional Brick was severely jolted by what happened to his father, and was now as irrational as his brothers in his desire for revenge.

The five kids again attacked, but like the previous attacks, it was futile. The only reason they just didn't stop, retreat, or do something sensible was because they were blinded by anger. Like before, they were thrown back to the ground five times, the first by another slap, the second with a laser explosion, the third by another collision, the fourth by a kick, and the fifth by another laser explosion.

"You five are pathetic. I expected better from you, you know, because of all the rage and all the anger you've got from the shock of seeing William Edwards Senior die. But heck, nothing's changed, except that you fight more reckless, and more stupid," the powerful teenager bellowed as the five once more picked themselves up. "Face it, you cannot defeat me. It's futile. It's hopeless. However, you can still save yourself."

"I'm offering you a deal," offered Alpha. "You see, I decided, I want to rule this pathetic planet. And I realize, even with power, it would not be sufficient for me alone to control it, so I need confederates who'll help me run this world for me. Tell you what. I'm not like Master Ckracknow, obsessed with killing you, you know. He's right, and I wrong. Look at you! You can't even make a dent, so I don't have to worry about you turning your back one me. So here's my deal."

"First, you must all take a pledge of allegiance to me. Yes, you should transfer all your loyalty to me. You should swear that you'd serve me faithfully, follow my orders, and do as I say. In return, the earth will be divided in the seven sections. I would rule one part while the others will be ruled by each of one of you. You can do essentially anything you want in your part of the world, as long as you remain loyal. What do you say?"

"No deals!" Brick said, still angry.

"Wait!" somebody shouted. The five kids turned to the direction of the voice.

It was Blossom.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Professor Utonium was just a few yards away from where William Edwards was standing when the doctor was struck in the chest by the laser, slammed as a result to a nearby six-storey concrete building, causing the building collapse on him. He watched as his friend was hit by free falling concrete rubble the size of a bed.

"William!" he shouted. He immediately and gently put Blossom on the ground, laying her down on her back, then run towards the rubble. He tried to lift it, but it was too heavy. He was also prevented by the sight of other bodies of people inside the buildings when the buildings collapsed, which sickened him and made him weak.

He soon was just standing there, staring blankly at the rubble. He was too shocked that it took some time for the event to register on his brain. He just couldn't believe it, that his friend could be dead, but there was the evidence, right before him, staring at him, mocking him. 'I can't believe it! I don't believe it! He can't be!' he thought. 'William!' he thought. "William!" he shouted, as his knees weakened and he was forced to kneel. He was breathing heavily, as tears began to pour from her eyes. But he held his emotions in check, as he regained the strength to stand up. He then stood, too moved by the event to move, as he silently looked on the rubble where his friend lay buried, making a silent tribute to him.

* * *

Blossom was shocked when she saw what happened. As the dust from the collapsed rubble cleared away, it became clear to her that he had no chance of surviving being hit in the chest and being buried by tons of falling concrete.

"Doctor!" she shouted, but because she's still gagged, it only came as "mmmpphhhsss" that she could barely hear herself. She was mildly annoyed as the Professor put her in the ground and forgot about her as he went near the rubble. However, she too was overcome with grief, and she cried as best she could in her restrained situation.

She finally forced herself to dry her tears as it was making the goggles over her eyes murky. She then remembered she was still tied-up, and she decided to try to get out. She tried calling for the Professor, but he was too far away, too near the rubble, too concentrated on his friend, and her gag so effective, that it was futile. She then put herself in a sitting position, with knees bended upwards, when she again remembered Dr. Edwards, and she cried and cried, nearly falling to her side again, but she regained her balance. 'Oh Dr. Edwards, you were so kind to us. Even though you are the boys' father, you're still fair to us girls in your dealings with the Alliance.'

She looked at the sky, as she saw the boys fight Alpha. Her emotions of sadness, and grief, were transformed into rage and a desire for revenge. She watched the fight, getting very disappointed as everyone seemed to forget her and she was unable to fight with the rest. 'But at least I'm not in Mr Ckracknow's clutches anymore. But I hate being tied-up like this and not able to help,' she though as she saw the boys fall. She remembered the fight against Ckracknow's clone Two, where she was a bystander while Brick and Buttercup fought. It frustrated her. 'I want to avenge Dr. Edwards, but I can't!' she thought frustratingly. She then looked towards the Professor, but to her chagrin, he disappeared as a crowd of rescuers descended around the Professor and among the concrete rubble. 'Drats, I can't even see him!'

She then went back watching the fight. This time, her sisters joined in. After a few minutes, she was depressed at the fight and the incompetence of the attacks, and the fact that they keep repeating the same attacks over and over even though it was futile.

'Arghh, ' Blossom thought. 'Why are they doing that? Why are they making stupid moves? Why are they repeating moves that did not work the first time? I guess they were too enraged to think clearly. But why Brick? He's usually has good sense, and doesn't let emotion cloud his judgment. I hope that it didn't unhinge him, though looking at the fight, it looked liked it did.'

She sighed. She was sitting on the ground, watching the losing fight, her hands still cuffed behind her, as were her ankles, and with an anti-gravity belt on her waist and goggles on her eyes. 'I guess all that happened to Dr. Edwards caused them to forget me temporarily. And even if they didn't, it'd be useless, cause they need to take me back home so this cuffs can be removed. Unless, they have the key, but the key's in Ckracknow's…the key! Yes!'

She looked at the crowd, and she finally spotted the Professor as people melted away to avoid being collateral damage as laser beams fell near a building near them. The professor just stood still, head bowed, facing the rubble, silent, reverent, thoughtful, his mind reminiscing his adventures with his friend.

Blossom called him, but her gag and his concentration again prevented it. Grumbling, she with great effort got on her feet, and hopped towards the Professor.

When she got to him, she saw that the Professor's eyes were closed, and it seemed as if he wasn't in the real world. Blossom then hopped to the Professor's foot.

"Ouch!" the Professor shouted, finally snapping out of it. He looked down, and saw Blossom. "Oh Blossom, I'm so sorry. I was so overwhelmed by what happened to my friend that I totally forgot about you. I'm sorry!" he said as he removed the scarf tied tightly around Blossom's mouth. After that, Blossom tried spitting off the rag, but it was too large and too lodged in her mouth for her to do that, so the Professor had to pull it from her mouth.

"It's okay, Professor, I understand."

"But I can't remove the cuffs and the gravity belt until we come home so—"

"Professor I know where the key is. It's in the pocket of Mr. Ckracknow's coat! I saw it!" Blossom said while exercising her sore jaw. "And could you please drop me here while you get the key? I don't want to see him."

"The key!" the Professor exclaimed. Gently laying Blossom in the ground, the Professor went over the Ckracknow's body. Keeping his eyes off Ckracknow's bullet ridden head, he searched his pockets, and finally got a chain of keys. Running back towards Blossom, he finally removed the cuffs off Blossom.

Blossom rubbed her wrists and stretched her sore arms. "Finally, I'm not tied-up anymore. It's getting tedious not being tied-up only for less than six hours three days straight," she said. "Gotta run!"

She then flew to where the kids were, where he heard Alpha propose to the kids to be their confederate.

"No deals!" an angry Brick said.

"Wait!" Blossom shouted. The five kids turned to her.

* * *

It was a sorry sight that greeted Blossom, as the five were bloodied, bludgeoned, and weakened. Brick and Buttercup had limp arms, hanging from their shoulders. Bubbles and Butch had bloody faces. All have aching bodies, were hurting all over, yet their faces showed that they were still determined.

"So you're free?" asked Brick. "What?"

"How about we ask for time to consider his offer, since we don't have a chance right now?"

"And negotiate with the enemy? Never!" Brick shouted.

"So, are you going to surrender and cooperate?" Alpha shouted from above.

"As John Paul Jones said, 'I have not yet begun to fight'," Brick said before charging headlong into Alpha, followed closely by his brothers, ignoring Blossom's advice.

Buttercup and Bubbles were about to follow when they were stopped by Blossom. "No. The boys are making a huge mistake. There's no way they can beat Alpha before, and there's no way they can beat him now."

"But we can't just sit here and watch the boys get zapped! If they are going to get zapped for what they believe in, for their father, them I am willing to do the same. If we'll going to lose no matter what, then I'd rather lose in a heroic battle fighting for what I believe in rather than just be a spectator to my doom. Besides, I'm angry at what happened to Dr. Edwards!" Buttercup said.

"Yeah, what she said," Bubbles added.

"And therein lies your first mistake," Blossom said. "You let your passion rule your judgment. You repeatedly attacked using the same moves that failed before. Second, you assume there was no way to beat Alpha. There is. And it's not by blindly hitting your head upon a brick wall then hope you'll break the wall before breaking your own head."

The expression on Buttercup and Bubbles' faces changed from angry and determined to amazed and disbelieving. "There's a way to beat Alpha?" asked Buttercup.

"Yup!"

"How'd you know?" asked Bubbles.

"Ah, it's actually a good thing I was kidnapped," Blossom said. "You see if there's one thing I learned about Mr. Ckracknow, being tight lipped is not one of his strong points. Follow me while I tell you about it."

"Well?" asked Buttercup as they were flying besides Blossom.

"It was about ten in the evening I think. They had just spoon fed me my dinner and regagged me, when Mr. Ckracknow suddenly boasted to me of how strong and unbeatable Alpha was. He then revealed to me, in a rather boastful manner, the machine that he built to enhance Alpha's strength," Blossom narrated. "The fool even told me exactly how to operate it. He probably thought that I would remain his captive forever. Well, it didn't turn out that way, of course."

"So your plan is, we use the same machine that Mr. Ckracknow used, so we can be as strong as him?"

"Not as strong. It only increases the strength proportional to our original strength. So we would be below his level, not quite there, but just enough so our superior numbers will be able to overwhelm him," said Blossom.

"How about the boys?" asked Bubbles.

"We'll just have to pray that they'll survive for the next ten minutes," Blossom said.

"Why ten minutes?" asked Buttercup.

"It takes five minutes for it to charge us up. Mr. Ckracknow himself told me in one of his boasts about it," Blossom said. "Even though we three could easily fit inside, someone would have to operate the lever outside, so we all can't go in together."

"Oh, I get it," Bubbles said as they raced to the bottom floor of the late Ckracknow's skyscraper.

"That's it?" asked Buttercup as they saw the glass covered box shaped device.

"Yup. Buttercup, you and Bubbles go first, while I'll operate the lever. And remember. Whatever happens, please stay calm. Don't panic. Okay?"

"Okay," Bubbles said as she and Buttercup went inside the device.

Blossom closed the door, and pulled the lever. Buttercup and Bubbles were taken aback by the effects, but they remained calm. Finally, after five minutes, Blossom pulled the lever, and both girls went out.

"So, how are you feeling?" asked Blossom.

"Wow! I feel super!" Buttercup said. All her wounds were gone, and her power was multiplied many times over.

"Okay, you go and fight Alpha to see if we really can go toe-to-toe with him," Blossom instructed.

"Don't worry, Blossom. He'll pay for what he did to Dr. Edwards, oh yes, he will," the green puff said as she flew out of the building.

"Okay Bubbles, when I enter the device, you'll pull this lever. After five minutes, pull it back, okay?"

"So Blossom, all I have to do is wait for you to enter that thingamajig, then pull this lever, and wait for five minutes, then pull this lever back, then you'll come out of the gizmo?"

"You got it, Bubbles." Blossom then opened the door to the device and entered, and Bubbles pulled the lever.

* * *

Meanwhile…

There was a powerful explosion in the air, and for the umpteenth time, Brick, Boomer and Butch fell to the ground. They were severely injured, their bodies extremely aching, their senses nearly knocked out. They were covered with their own blood as they received more and more wounds.

The three brothers stood up, but were too weak to fly.

They looked defiantly at Alpha, who had nothing but contempt for the boys.

Seconds later, they collapsed to the ground. They were not unconscious, but only recovering, as it was evident that they needed to catch their breath. They were very weak, and not far from being out.

"Pathetic. Simply pathetic," Alpha said, looking down at the bloodied boys, both literally and figuratively. "I expected better from you boys. At least the girls had the good sense to run away to fight another day. You should do the same, or at least consider my proposal to join forces with me. You can't do the former, since you're too weak, but you can still do the latter. So, what's your answer?"

"Fck you!" Brick weakly shouted, bringing out more blood out of his mouth than voice. He was on his fours, while his brothers are lying on the ground, conscious, but weak, resting in a vain effort to regain enough strength.

"Yeah! Screw you!" Boomer said, raising himself by one arm while waving his fist defiantly at him, then fell again.

"Eat my sh!t" Butch shouted, in between pants.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be, then I have no choice but to end it. Don't say I didn't give you a chance!" Alpha said. He made an energy ball powerful enough to finish the boys once and for all, but before he could throw it, he was kicked from behind the head, and to his extreme surprise, he fell to the ground, his head hurting slightly.

"Ha! Score one for Buttercup!" Buttercup boasted. The green puff then plunged down, intending to ram Alpha. Alpha got out of the way, and Buttercup instead dug herself a large crater when she inadvertently hit the ground. Getting up, she was met with a kick in the face by Alpha. She was thrown violently upward, and Alpha followed her and then smashed his fist on her back.

Buttercup was on a freefall when, despite the pain, she stopped. Setting the lever on her super shades to five, she gave a blistering laser eye attack that hit Alpha head on. He was able to use his arms to cover up, but after the fact, his hands and face had a few bruises. Buttercup herself was heavily covered with bruises and breathing heavily, but she had hurt Alpha, and that was all that mattered.

Alpha was disconcerted, then suddenly smiled. "Well, you actually can do more than tickle! I guess I underestimated you. Let me guess, you used the Ckracknow's device to increase your power, eh?"

"Well, knowing it won't save your butt from being kicked!" Buttercup yelled as she charged the silver haired teenager. She attempted to kick using her left foot on Alpha's head, but he ducked just in time, and sent his left fist deep into Buttercup's stomach. Ignoring the pain, Buttercup, to Alpha's surprise, rammed her head against the teen's stomach. The clone backed away as he clutched his aching stomach, but the green puff followed him. Alpha then shot a powerful laser beam from his hands, hitting her. The lime clad girl was hurt by it, and Alpha followed it up by a huge uppercut to tough puff's jaw, sending her higher into the stratosphere.

High up in the air, Buttercup finally stopped her ascent, and floated in the sky as she looked warily at her rival. Alpha looked at her in turn. The clone, Buttercup saw, was still much more powerful than her even though the power upgrade considerably closed the gap between the two. Still, relatively, he was not as ridiculously powerful as before. And he was damaged, as the bruises and wounds, however slight compared to her own, testified. She smiled. She knew she could hurt the bastard.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, assessing the situation, then attacked each other. By that time, however, the balance has swung decisively against Alpha, or so the kids thought, when Blossom and Bubbles, both upgraded by Ckracknow's device, arrived. Both girls were as good as new.

The boys, though still weak, have rested enough during the few minutes to be able to stand up, and fly, however slowly and weakly. During that time, they were watching the confrontation between Alpha and Buttercup.

"Well I'll be damned!" Butch exclaimed. "How the hell did that girl get so strong, or did Alpha become so weak?"

"Hell I don't know," Boomer exclaimed. "But this is embarrassing. We should be the one up there, not her. It's our Dad who was killed, not theirs! We should be the one avenging him, not her!"

"Well, what are we standing here for? Even though we're weak and pathetic, we should do something. We're rested enough to be able to fight, and we're not yet dead. What do you say to the idea that we fight right now?"

"Yeah!" both Boomer and Butch shouted.

So the three boys, even though they were very weak, were dangerously bleeding, and their bodies were aching, attacked. It was only through their strength of will that they were able to charge Alpha. It was a very brave act, or foolish, depending on one's point of view.

Luckily, they were stopped dead by Blossom, who blocked their path. Bubbles went to join her sister Buttercup in the fight against the powerful teenage clone.

"Get out of the way, girl!" Brick said.

"The name's Blossom, Brick, and no, I won't let you go and do something very foolish. I won't let you get killed!"

"Ha, since when have you been concerned with us boys?" Butch bitterly asked.

"Besides, even if you are right, it's no business of yours if we want to die!" Boomer said.

"Yeah, besides, our reason for being here is gone. The only thing left for us is revenge. After that, life isn't worth living anymore," Brick said, in an angry tone, with gritted teeth, looking directly at Blossom. "Would you deny us our revenge too?"

"Well, you certainly won't get your revenge if you're dead," Blossom acidly said. "Look, even if you don't think I care about you, I do. I value you as allies, but even more so as friends. You can't just think that all of that we have gone through together for the past few months counts for nothing. No, I won't forgive myself I just let you do it."

"Well, I'd rather die trying to avenge Dad than just stand here, doing nothing. How could I face him, when, if asked what I did to avenge him, I'd have to answer, nothing? Oh the shame! No. I'm going to attack him no matter what, and if it's going to get me killed, so be it."

"And what's your plan of attack?" Blossom asked.

"We win. He dies," Brick simply replied. "Or we die."

"You won't get pass me!"

Brick gritted his teeth, as did his brothers, as all knew that they couldn't take on Blossom at their current state.

"Where the heck is your common sense, Brick? You always boast of your rationality, of your cunning, of how your actions are all calculating, of your unemotional actions? And yet here you are, acting irrationally, acting in ways not in your self-interests! Playing right into Alpha's hands by making futile attacks and only getting yourself weaker and weaker. You know what you're showing? You know what? You're not showing how brave you are, though I have absolutely no doubt of your courage. Rather, Alpha would think how stupid your moves are! What happened, what happened?" asked Blossom.

"The Professor wasn't killed," Brick replied in an emotionally charged tone, so much so that several times he nearly broke and teared-up. "Do you really think you could restrain your urge for revenge, to restrain your urge to rip the killer to shreds, if it was the Professor who was killed? Do you really think you could just think in a cool calm manner when all those emotions are raging inside you? Yes, I usually can keep control for me to act rationally. I can usually keep my strongest emotions in check so as not to act rashly. My brain always governed my heart, as you well know when I plotted my take over of this alliance. All of that I concede to you and more. But there are limits. And it was broken when I saw my Dad get killed. Do you really think that? If so, then you don't know me. Now out of my way! Me and my brothers are going to avenge Dad, and if I die in the attempt, I'll die satisfied that I did my due!"

"You're right. I would have acted the same had the Professor been the one under the concrete rubble. Dr. Edwards' death hurt me too, you know, and I for one would like to see Alpha dead. But even so, I would not let you be killed. No! No! I care too much about you for that. Whether you like it or not, you won't. No! Not in this condition. Even if I would have to knock you out. And I can do it. I am much stronger than before!"

"You'd have to kill us before you can stop us!" Butch said, behind Brick.

Suddenly, an idea hit Blossom. "You want revenge, boys? You want revenge? Well, I have a plan that not only would let you have your revenge, but also have a very good chance of actually killing him!"

"Don't be foolish. We're too weak for crying out loud! Not even the smartest plans would work!" Brick said. "Just look at what happened a while ago. We tried all our tricks, and it failed."

"Then how'd your explain Buttercup and Bubbles getting so strong?"

Suddenly, Brick suddenly felt very foolish. "Oh how stupid of me! Of course, you're trying to tell us something that would make us as strong like you did to your sisters?"

"Brick, what's this all about? I thought we agreed to shove this girl?" Butch asked frantically.

"Don't you get it?" Boomer suddenly said. "Bubbles and Buttercup suddenly got stronger, so she's trying to tell us how!"

"Yeah, she was trying to assist us! But the way you did it, it seemed you were just trying to lecture us, instead of trying to help us," Butch finally conceded.

"Well, girl, then quit gabbing and tell us how?" Brick asked impatiently. "I can't wait to kick his ass!"

"Follow me," said Blossom as she flew on to the skyscraper of the recently deceased Ckracknow.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Bubbles flew with Blossom, and seeing Buttercup high in the air, staring at Alpha, she quickened her pace. Spotting the teenager, she quickly rammed her head on Alpha's stomach. He doubled over in pain as he was thrown back, but despite the slight pain caused by it, he rebounded, balled his fists together, and quickly hit Bubbles on the head, causing her to fall to the ground.

He scarcely had time to savor Bubbles' setback when a powerful laser from above hit him. He was bruised slightly as he looked up and saw Buttercup, after making another lever five laser eye attack, descending rapidly towards him, with her arms extended before her, her fists balled and ready to ram. Alpha dodged with a fraction of a second to spare, as Buttercup went past him. Alpha quickly grabbed Buttercup's foot and threw her down, but as soon as he did that, Bubbles was back and gave Alpha a powerful kick to the side. Alpha was thrown sidewards, his hand clutching his aching side. He halted, regained his balance, formed an energy ball in his hands, and threw it at Bubbles. A powerful explosion, a puff covered with smoke, an Alpha kneeing Bubbles in the stomach, a Bubbles falling to the ground, bore witness to his counterattack.

Bubbles hit the ground, but Buttercup took up the slack by grabbing Alpha'a arm, spinning him, and hurling him towards the ground. Bubbles, who had now recovered, flew up, and kicked the still spinning and rapidly descending Alpha, sending him upwards towards Buttercup. But Alpha suddenly turned around, and extended his arms in a fist. Buttercup was surprised when his fists buried themselves into her tummy, causing her to double over in pain. Bubbles gasped, but she charged ahead. Alpha turned his attention to Bubbles and gave a kick to her head, sending her back to the ground with a large crash. He then threw Buttercup to the ground.

Buttercup and Bubbles, hurt, wounded, and defiant, quickly rose from the rubble and charged the floating teenager. They separated. Buttercup quickly made a ball of energy, and threw it towards Alpha. Alpha dodged it, but the attempt distracted him from Bubbles, who went behind him, and made a lever 5 laser eye attack, direct on his back. He screamed in agony as Buttercup from below went and kicked his back, sending him to the ground in pain.

He quickly brushed it off, ignoring it. But to the surprise of Buttercup and Bubbles, Alpha had a smile on his face, a devious kind of smile, as if this was all part of a set-up. Alpha rose, and charged towards the two girls. Buttercup began making a laser attack from her hands, but Alpha deftly dodged it, and sent a ball of energy towards Buttercup. Buttercup ducked, but the ball suddenly changed its trajectory and hit Bubbles.

"Bubbles!" Buttercup shouted, looking at her blond sister. But that distraction was all Alpha needed to punch her hard, and throw her towards Bubbles.

Bubbles was hit by Buttercup, and both girls were thrown violently sidewards before falling. They soon recovered their traction but Alpha was soon upon them, giving Buttercup a powerful kick in the head, while headbutting Bubbles. He then threw them high in the air, and hit them both with powerful lasers.

Both girls fell to the ground, while Alpha, feeling cocky, just watched them without making the follow-up attacks that would have finished off the girls. He himself was badly battered. His back was full of wounds, and his body was aching a little, but he was in a very strong position in relation to the two girls. The two girls were by this time much weaker than Alpha. They stood on the ground, looked at Alpha in an insolent manner, and flew towards him.

Alpha smirked as he saw the two girls charge. He in turn charged. The two suddenly halted, and each made two powerful lever 5 laser eye attacks. They combined their lasers, and shot it towards Alpha. However, he violently swerved to the right, avoiding the superpowerful beam. He flew to the side of the two girls, and to the utter surprise of both of them, kicked them in the stomach, his legs long enough to enable him to kick both girls at the same time. Again, the two girls fell.

"Ha! What a ham! What hot air! Coming here with such a high level of power! And with nothing to show for it!" Alpha said.

"You're the one with hot air," Buttercup shouted. "We actually hurt you!"

"Yes you did. But it's nothing compared to what I did to you!"

"Yeah, but what I did to you this time is much much worse than what I did before, when I can't even make a scratch on you!" Buttercup shot back.

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" challenged Alpha.

"Maybe I will!" Buttercup said, and she and Bubbles charged.

At that very moment, Alpha noted with satisfaction that Blossom, and the boys left the vicinity of the fight towards Ckracknow's skyscraper. He estimated that they wouldn't return for five minutes, far more time than he actually needed to execute his plan.

Seeing Buttercup, he quickly swerved, avoiding her, then grabbed her bare hands. Suddenly, light was seen coming from Buttercup's hand to Alpha, and a bloodcurdling scream was heard from Buttercup.

"Buttercup!" Bubbles shouted, flying towards her sister. But it was too late. Alpha dropped Buttercup, and grabbed Bubbles. The same thing happened to the blond girl as light was seen being absorbed from Bubbles by the sadistic teenager. A scream later, Bubbles was falling, and landed besides the green puff.

"I feel weak!" Buttercup said, shaking her head.

"Me too. I feel very sleepy," Bubbles said.

"Well, that trick didn't hurt me!" Buttercup said. "Let's finish the job!"

"Right," Bubbles said. Both girls tried to fly, but they discovered, to their horror, that they can't.

"What the—" Buttercup said.

"Ha—don't you realize? I absorbed all your powers. I waited until you figured out how to use the machine, and I waited until Blossom and the others are gone, and, so I can absorb more. Ha, I absorbed most of your power, but not all. Notice that you didn't get hurt by the fall—you kept your super strength, and even that was cut by half—but your ability to fly, and to do laser attacks is gone! Now you're just plain kids with freaky strength!"

"You cheated!" Bubbles shouted, frustrated, feeling very weak.

"Yeah. And don't tell me that absorbing all that energy and power healed your wounds?"

"Yup!" Alpha shouted. "And I'm even more powerful than ever before! Hahahahahahaha! You should have accepted my earlier offer to be my confederates. At least you would have kept your powers. But no! You had to remain stubborn! Well, you paid the price!"

Both Buttercup and Bubbles sulked, as they waited for Blossom and the boys to return.

* * *

Five minutes later…

Blossom and the boys returned. The boys were fully confident as the flow of energy rushed through their veins, and they felt power they never felt before. All of their wounds, all of their bruises, were completely healed, and they were as cocky as before.

"Alpha! You will pay for what you did to Dad, and you will go down!" Brick shouted, his renewed confidence diminishing his anger and desire for revenge not one bit.

"Yeah! We'll tear you limb from limb, and we'll literally roast you for dinner after this is all over!" Butch added, even angrier than his redheaded brother.

Alpha yawned with boredome. "All talk. All hot air. All hat. No cattle."

"Blossom, boys, be careful! Alpha can absorb your energy by touching you!" Bubbles shouted, from the ground.

But Blossom and the boys were so high up in the air that they couldn't hear her, much less understand what she was saying.

"What did you say? Fly closer so I can hear you!" shouted Blossom.

But before Bubbles could reply, Alpha suddenly appeared among them. He grabbed both the exposed hands of Butch and Boomer, and absorbed their energy.

Both boys screamed as this happened. Brick and Blossom, who were clueless to what was really happening, attacked Alpha. To their extreme surprise, they found out that their attacks were pretty much useless, as all their punches and kicks, even their most ferocious, did not even scratch the clone. They then tried removing Brick's brothers from Alpha's grip, but it did not do a thing.

Alpha then dropped both boys to the ground, still conscious, but extremely weak. They hit the ground, unharmed, but dizzy.

"Man, that was strange," Boomer said.

"Well, let's get back to business," Butch said. He tried to fly, but couldn't.

"Hey! I can't fly! What gives?" a frustrated Butch asked.

"Give it up. He absorbed your energy, so you can't do all those stuff," Buttercup said. "Just like he did to us."

"Damn! That bastard!" Boomer can only say.

Butch could only grit his teeth in extreme frustration as he made a very hard punch against the ground. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

* * *

"What? You told me that we're gonna be strong enough to beat him. Now it's like before!" an extremely furious Brick said to Blossom. "You lied. I demand you apologize!"

"I don't understand. I know that we could have—"

Suddenly, Alpha grabbed both of them, but he didn't absorb their energy—yet.

Surprised, both leaders tried to pry themselves off Alpha, but failed. Alpha has by this time the combined powers of himself, Boomer, Bubbles, Butch and Buttercup, magnified by Ckracknow's machine.

"Blossom didn't lie, you know. Buttercup, Bubbles, and all of you were pretty much close to my power level after you used that device," Alpha said. "Let me explain. I had one power that I never have used before, and no one else save Master Ckracknow knew about it. That is the ability to absorb energy by touch. Yes, before, I have been strong enough to be able not to use it. I yearned to use it, but was forbidden by my master, saying it's too dangerous. Now he is dead, and I can break free of his restriction. Now, why didn't I use it at the beginning of the fight? Well, I made a gamble. I knew you would figure out one way or another the device that increased my strength exponentially, so I decided to let you use it first so that I would absorb much more energy than if I used my power before you used it. And then I waited until you and the boys left to upgrade so you wouldn't be suspicious, then absorbed Buttercup's and Bubbles energy. Then, you returned, and I absorbed the energy of your brothers, Brick. Yup, I have just shown you my ultimate trump card!"

Blossom and Brick's face was white with shock as Alpha began absorbing the energy of the two. The teenager was himself laughing hysterically as he felt power surge through his body.


	40. A Tragic Day Before Christmas

**Allies and Rivals II**

To all readers, _Merry Christmas_ (this chapter was posted on December 24, 2012)

**Chapter 40**

**A Tragic Day Before Christmas**

The town of Citiesville…

And the final stages of the final battle were being fought high in the air of that unfortunate town. Alpha, with an iron grip, held Brick and Blossom in his hands, laughing hysterically as the energy of both Brick and Blossom got transferred to the already powerful clone.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Alpha cackled. "Can you feel it? Brick, Blossom, can you feel your own power leave you? Hahahaha!"

"You're lying!" Blossom shouted in desperation. "There is no such power."

"You can't absorb our powers. No, not now, not ever!" shouted Brick, though he didn't believe his own words, as he literally felt his power flow out of his body and into his already ridiculously powerful opponent.

"In denial I see, but the look in your faces and the tone of your voices tells me you think otherwise. You know you are losing, or rather, you know that you already have lost, but you can't verbally admit it, even if it's clear that all hope for you is gone! Now you will pay for your mistakes, your arrogance, and my brilliance. Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Brick and Blossom tried to pry away from Alpha's tight grip in order to stem the flow of energy from their bodies, but it was to no avail.

Finally, after a minute, both Blossom and Brick felt limp, and weak, though still alive and conscious, and were now hanging in the air by their arms. Their ability to fly was gone, and so was their ability to do laser attacks.

With a laugh, Alpha let go of the two, and both fell from high in the ground. They weren't hurt at all from the impact. They stood up, brushed off the dirt from their clothes, rubbed their sore wrists, and looked up into a laughing Alpha as the others went towards them.

"Ha, ha, ha! I'm not only the Alpha, but also the Omega! I may have a beginning, but I have no end! And the power that's surging through my very being, the power that no mortal on this pathetic planet can even come close to, is proof to that!" he shouted with arrogance as he flew higher and higher into the air.

"Well, nice knowing you. And I'm certainly proud that both of you are my brothers," Boomer said to Brick and Butch.

"Well, we certainly had an exciting six months," Brick said, ignoring Alpha. "I'm going to miss you, but I hope that I'll see you again when we die. And hope to see Dad too."

"Well, it's been a while," Butch said. "Though sometimes, you guys do things that sicken me, it was a swell time. I'm with Boomer. I'm proud that you two are my brothers, and I'm proud that you Brick, are the leader."

The three brothers shook hands and hugged each other. They waited for the end to come.

"Though I think when we die, we won't see Dad," Brick said. "Dad is a much better man than we are, and we don't deserve to be at his side in the afterlife."

"Yeah! Well, at least we get the honor of being recreated by our father, Dr. Edwards," Butch said.

"Yeah, he's great, isn't he?" Boomer added.

* * *

"Is it really over?" asked Bubbles.

Blossom, who again was teary eyed as she watched and listened to Alpha, knew the bitter answer. "Yes it is," Blossom finally admitted. "I wish I could say there is still hope, but I'd be lying. And I've said enough lies in my life. I'm so sorry. I'm really really sorry. And I'm also sorry that I've acted arrogant over the past few months. It's just that, I love power too much, and it's gone to my head."

"Don't worry Blossom," Buttercup said. "Whatever your faults are, they are far outweighed by what is good in you. You're an excellent leader, and you're a caring sister, and you love us all. That is all that matters. I'm extremely lucky to have you both as sisters, you know. Besides, I have my own faults too. I am hot-headed, impetuous, sometimes unthinking, impulsive, and violent, which are far, far worst defects than you being bossy."

"Oh Blossom, Buttercup, even though we lost, I'd like to say, that I have no regrets fighting them, and fighting for Citiesville, Townsville, and for what we believe in. Oh I'm going to miss you. I don't want to die, I don't want to," Bubbles cried.

"I don't want to die too, Bubbles," Blossom said, hugging her blond sister. "But, what can we do? He's too powerful, and we're too weak. Unless he chooses not to kill us, we're doomed."

"Oh this sucks! Why does this have to happen? Why? I mean, we're the good guys! We haven't lost before. Not once! Not ever!" Buttercup hysterically said, then burst in tears and hugged her two sisters. "I know. It's over. I just wish it ain't so!"

The three boys just looked at Alpha in anger and hatred.

"Boys?" they suddenly heard. They turned, and the saw the girls.

They said nothing.

"I'd just like to say, 'nice knowing you,' now that we're doomed and all. It's a pleasure being your friends, and working with you," Bubbles said.

"We're not your friends," Butch growled, while Boomer's scowl softened, though he said nothing.

"And I'm very sorry for acting so arrogant and bossy," Blossom said.

Brick looked her in the eye in cold manner, and without saying a thing, turned back and looked at Alpha. The bitter look on his face and his heavy breathing was all Blossom needed to know to figure out Brick's answer.

Boomer and Butch then turned their backs on the girls, and, like Brick, focused on Alpha high up.

"Well, if that's how—" Buttercup shouted, but was stopped when she saw Alpha in the air. The other two girls then focused their attention on the powerful teenager, who was cackling loudly very high in the air.

"And now, to end it all. Bye bye, Citiesville. Bye bye Powerpuff Girls! Bye bye, Rowdyruff Boys!" Alpha laughed, while starting to concentrate a huge amount of energy in his hands. Suddenly, he felt a tinge of ache in his body causing him to pause for a while. Then it disappeared, and he dismissed it. Suddenly, it came back in full force, and it engulfed his whole body, and he screamed as pain gripped his body. Then, bolts of lightning could be seen circling him. Then, to Alpha's horror, light began coming out of his body.

Then there was silence, and relief clearly was shown in Alpha's face, but it all disappeared in the next second or so.

"What is going on—" were his last words.

A large terrific explosion occurred, covering the entire land with white bright lights that forced the ruffs and puffs to close their eyes, and a withering boom that nearly deafened the kids.

They could feel the rush of powerful winds blow against them, as they struggled just to stay on their feet.

After a minute, it ended.

* * *

Brick opened his eyes, and saw his brothers and the girls open theirs. "We're still alive? I don't know how, but I don't feel dead at all."

"It can't be. We're supposed to be dead. That explosion was supposed to kill us all," Butch wondered.

"Well, I know I'm not dead," Boomer said. "We've been dead before, when the girls kissed us, and I don't feel now what we felt then. We're alive."

"I agree. We're alive," Brick said with relief. "I don't understand it, but we are."

"We're alive. I'm glad we weren't killed by the explosion," Blossom said. "Look around. We're still in Citiesville, although the city is much damaged."

"Yeah, and Mr. Ckracknow's skyscraper is gone," said Bubbles. "Look."

Indeed. Where once, a majestic, tall building soared high in the air, there was now only empty space and air, and the remains were in a rubble heap.

Indeed, Citiesville was a sorry sight to behold. All of its' tall skyscrapers were gone, though a lot of buildings, particularly those lower than fifteen stories, still stood proud. During the explosion, about one hundred thousand people died, most of them in the buildings that collapsed and the grounds around them.

"Where's Alpha?" asked Bubbles, asking the question in everyone's mind. "He seemed to have—disappeared."

Alpha was gone. He was not in the sky anymore. Scanning the area, they couldn't find him at all.

"Maybe he went somewhere else?" suggested Butch.

"Could be," Brick said. Brick jumped to take a better look, and to his surprise, he remained in the air. "What the—I can fly again!"

"Does this mean that we regained the power that was drained from us?" Boomer asked, trying to make sense of it all. He tried flying, and succeeded.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Butch said. He then tried to use laser from his eyes to destroy a pile of concrete, and moments later, the rubble was a gone after a powerful laser from Butch's eyes streamed forth.

"That means Alpha is dead!" Blossom said. "How else would you explain getting back our powers? He can't just give it back to us."

"Maybe he self-destructed during that explosion?" Boomer suggested. "I mean, what else could happen? He certainly can't be killed, so the only thing that could have possibly happened is he self-destructed. I mean, that alone would fit all the facts, you know."

"But why? Why the hell did he self-destruct, if indeed that's what happened?" asked Butch.

"I don't know. I just don't know," Brick replied.

"I don't get it either," Boomer said.

* * *

"Girls! Are you alright?" the Professor, who came running towards them, shouted.

"Professor!" shouted the girls, as they rushed towards him. They all hugged each other tightly.

"What happened?" asked the Professor. "There was a powerful explosion, and Alpha was gone."

"Well, he self-destructed," Blossom explained. "Why? What happened? Why did he self-destruct?"

"I don't know. I don't know," the Professor said. "Perhaps the data we filched from Ckracknow's second base might shed some light on what really happened."

"Well, at least we won!" Buttercup said.

"We won! We won! We totally rock!" Bubbles shouted, jumping.

"Yeah! Victorious again!" Blossom shouted, joining her sisters' revelries.

However, the Professor had a look of disapproval on his face at her daughter's celebration. "Stop this right now. We have no right to celebrate!"

"But Professor, why not?" asked Buttercup. "We finally won."

"Look," the Professor said, pointing to the city.

The girls looked where the Professor was pointing, and immediately felt ashamed. The scene was a piece of concrete rubble, and hovering over it were three boys.

Boomer was openly sobbing, his crying so hard that it was heard in the entire vicinity. His face was covered with tears as he bawled and bawled.

"Dad!" the six year old ruff shouted.

Brick just stood there, looking at the rubble that buried his father, silent, though his emotions were clearly shown in his face, as wet as a sponge as his eyes dropped tears like a faucet drops water. He just stood in silent contemplation as he stared at the rubble where his father was buried. "Dad," he merely said, but avoiding saying anything fearing that it might cause him to bawl like his brother.

Butch wasn't sobbing, nor were his eyes shedding tears, but his face was bitter, sad, and anguished, twisted in such a way that it's obvious that he was putting up a mighty struggle to hold back his tears.

"I'm very sorry," Bubbles said, again sobbing. "I forgot about Dr. Edwards, and the boys."

"Yeah. It was inconsiderate of us," said Buttercup in a bitter tone. "Who knew victory could be so bitter? This is one victory, where, I think, the cost is too much to bear, especially for the boys."

"We can only hope the boys will pull through this," said Blossom sadly. "Dr. Edwards was very close to them."

"Let's just hope that they didn't notice your earlier celebrations, or they might never forgive you," the Professor said.

The girls felt very sorry for the boys. Bubbles went to Boomer, patted her shoulder. "Boomer, it's alright. I'm sure he's in a better place—"

"How can it be alright? We just lost our father for crying out loud," Boomer shouted at Bubbles. "What will happen to us? What? What?"

Bubbles said nothing as she cried, and tried to embrace Boomer. Surprisingly, Boomer did nothing to resist, and hugged her back, as he bitterly cried at her shoulder. Bubbles just cried along and patted him at his back.

Blossom and Buttercup went near the other two boys.

However, before the two puffs could do anything, Brick, then Butch went to the mass of rubble, and began digging, removing rock after rock, trying to recover their father's body. Blossom and Buttercup silently joined the effort, though all kids, and the Professor, had a dreadful feeling about it as they anticipated the worst.

Finally, they got the shock of their life.

They finally uncovered what they assumed was the body of Dr. Edwards. It was a dreadful sight that greeted them. They could clearly see his clothes—his gray suit, coat, hat and red tie, and his shirt. However, it was drenched in blood, as the body. Furthermore, the size of the clothes perfectly matched that worn by Dr. Edwards. The head, though, was utterly crushed by the falling concrete, and whatever face that was on the head was unrecognizable, as it was now a mass of blood, brains, and broken skull fragments. The brown hair, though, and the hat, was the same as their father's, and that was all they needed to identify the body.

It was so shocking and so gruesome, seeing a crushed body, that Bubbles, Boomer, and even Buttercup fainted. Brick and Butch looked at it for a second, then after confirming it, immediately looked away as their faces grew bitterer, and their faces more twisted, as Butch's effort to hold back his tears were finally overcome by his emotions, though he was just silent.

Blossom suddenly sobbed hysterically, she crying like Boomer earlier did.

"Blossom, take the boys and your sisters home. And pack our things, especially the Christmas tree and presents under the tree. Stay in our house and wait for me. I'll take care of Dr. Edwards's body," the Professor said, though his body was shaking.

Blossom soon controlled herself enough for her to pick up both her unconscious sisters. Surprisingly, both Butch and Brick did not protest the Professor's instructions, and they picked up Boomer, and though shocked, followed Blossom, not saying a word.

Blossom herself was still sobbing, and wasn't aware of her surroundings till she found herself on the door of their house.

It was an eerie feeling. She hadn't been in their house since Ckrackow and the five teen-agers attacked Citiesville, and the Professor and the girls were forced to move to Dr. Edwards' house to have better protection from rioters.

Blossom looked back, and saw that Butch and Brick were behind her with bitter expressions on their faces. Still crying, she gently laid Buttercup before getting the key from her pocket, and opened the door.

She opened the door, and for the first time in many days, stepped into her house. She directed the boys to put Boomer on the bed in their room, while she herself plopped her sisters besides Boomer.

She dried her tears, and finally was able to speak coherently. She was still the leader. Brick technically was overall leader, but he was too shaken emotionally for him to properly function.

"Brick, I need to go to your house to get our stuff," Blossom said. "I need to borrow your keys." Her tone was sad, contrite, and slow.

Brick and Butch looked Blossom but said nothing, their eyes as cold as the winter night of Cychaela's death. Their faces were a mixture of bitterness, shock, disbelief, resignation, and anger.

Finally, Brick spoke. "I won't give you the keys, girl."

"But I need it to—"

"I know. I'll go with you, girl, 'cause I know you'll steal something if you go alone." Brick's tone was serious, angry, and suspicious, not the usual sarcastic, witty, mocking, and generally warm tone of his usual teasing. It was reminiscent of his days when he still wanted to kill the Powerpuff Girls, when he clearly hated the girls, than to his present persona as an incessant power hungry rival of Blossom for leadership.

Blossom was taken aback by the bitterness of his tone. "Okay, you can come along with me," said she.

Blossom floated outside, followed by Brick. They didn't say anything to each other. Blossom felt she might unintentionally say something inappropriate. Brick simply did not desire to talk, as his mind was on other things.

Butch watched the two redheads leave. Immediately, he went to find an empty room, and finding it, went inside, locked it, made sure nobody can see or hear him, and cried his heart out.

* * *

Blossom and Brick arrived at Dr. Edwards' home. Brick took a key from his pocket, opened the door, and entered. Blossom followed Brick to the house. Seeing all the pictures on the walls, and all the items in the house suddenly brought a flood of memories and she again lost it, and cried.

Brick also got emotional, with tears dripping from his eyes as all the memories surfaced, but he quickly dried his eyes, and instead, focused his sights on Blossom to keep him from seeing things that might choke him up.

"Quick bawling and get whatever things you need. The sooner you leave this house, the better. Quit crying like a little girl and do whatever you have to do!" said Brick a little too harshly.

"Oh shut up! For your information, _I am a little girl_, and if I want to cry if somebody close to me dies, that's my business, not yours!" Blossom shouted back. "And look at yourself before saying such things. You also cried! At least I'm honest about my emotions, not like you, who always keeps denying!"

Brick just shrugged it off. "Whatever. Just get your things and leave."

Blossom soon was angrier with Brick than sad. "You are such a big jerk, you know that?" she shouted, this time not in jest, before huffing away and collecting their things. Brick followed her, making sure that she didn't steal anything.

She took all her things, and that of her sisters, plus their Christmas tree and presents. She could carry it all easy, but had a hard time balancing it in her hands as they were too many.

"A little help here?" Blossom asked, looking at Brick.

"Go help yourself!" Brick replied. "You're strong enough to do it."

"Oh nevermind. I knew I can never depend on you."

"Oh I thought you're always depending on me?"

"You're impossible."

Blossom then carried all those things by herself (which, combined, is five times the size of her), while Brick locked the door of the house, carrying nothing himself. Blossom flew slowly, fearing she might drop something, while Brick zoomed out, leaving Blossom in the dust.

Brick entered Blossom's house, when he suddenly was gripped in a tight hug. A sobbing Boomer was gripping Brick tightly.

"Oh it's horrible. It's horrible. I just woke up, wondered why I'm here, then remembered all that happened. Oh it's terrible. I can't get it out of my head—you know, Dad's head so crushed you can't recognize his face, all the blood on his suit, hat, it's horrible. Why did Dad have to die in such a horrible way? Why? It's so unfair, you know Brick."

Brick patted his brother, himself fighting off the urge to cry like his brother. "Boomer, you're right. It's horrible." He was silent for a few minutes. Boomer simply cried into his brother's shoulder, until he finally stopped.

"Where's Butch?" he finally asked.

Before Brick could answer, Blossom finally arrived with all the things she carried. "Thanks a lot," she sarcastically said.

Brick ignored her as he pondered where his black haired brother was. "I don't know," he finally answered. "We better look around."

It didn't take much time for them to locate Butch. He was in an isolated room near the basement door, sleeping on a bed. The wet pillow indicated that he cried himself to sleep. He had a bitter expression on his face, even asleep.

* * *

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, December 24.

The six kids were in the living room, waiting for the Professor to arrive. The boys had cried themselves dry, and they were playing cards among themselves. They were silent, sullen, without the usual banter that one associate with their usual poker games.

Bubbles until now was still crying, while Buttercup and Blossom's eyes were dry, though they were sullen. Buttercup was sitting on the couch, thinking, while Blossom was reading a book.

The atmosphere was grim, and sad. On all their minds were the events earlier that day and what had happened to Dr. Edwards. And whatever they tried to do, they could not keep their minds off the recent tragedy. They could not get off their mind the horrible image of a crushed body lying on the rubble.

Then, the Professor arrived.

To the kid's extreme surprise, he had a grin on his face, had happy eyes, had a bright expression, conveying optimism.

"Well? Do you have good news?" asked Blossom.

"Huh? Why'd you think I have good news?" asked a surprised Professor.

"Well, there's that look on your face," Buttercup said. "Come on, Professor. Something's up!"

"Um, the look my face? Um well, there's no good news," the Professor said, his face changing into a very grim expression, his grin becoming a grimace, his mood becoming dark.

"What happened?" asked Brick, fearing the worst.

"Oh, what I saw…It's too bad, too horr—Oh sorry, I was just overwhelmed by it all, it's so dreadful, you know, that the shock. Oh I'm very sorry," the Professor rambled, though his expression told the kids that their worst fears were realized.

"It's alright Professor," Blossom said.

The Professor then went to his lab.

* * *

Later that night, about seven…

"Where are you going," asked Bubbles as she saw the boys preparing to leave.

"We're going home," Brick replied.

"Why don't you stay here with us, so we can spend Christmas together? I mean, with your father gone, wouldn't it be a lonely Christmas for you? I'm sad too, but maybe we could liven up if we're all together?" the blue puff invited.

"Sorry. We're going home and that's it. We can't leave it for too long," Brick replied.

"So what are you planning to do?" asked Blossom.

"If you want to know," Boomer began, "after Christmas, we're going to Mr. Franks and Mr. Clark in the city."

"Who's Mr. Franks?" asked Buttercup.

"He's Dr. Edwards' lawyer, and the one who kept his will," Blossom said. "Look, I know it's hard for you, but couldn't you just stay here tonight and tomorrow? I know how you feel."

"No you do not know how we really feel!" Brick suddenly shouted at the two girls. "Do you really think you know what's bugging us? Yes, we're sad, we're angry, we're bitter, and I know you are, but there's more. First, he's not your father, and so you can never ever know how we really felt or feel when our Dad was killed. Second, you do not know the frustration, the disappointment of not having been able to have our revenge! Yes, Alpha was killed, but not by our hands! How can our desire be satisfied, our hatred quashed, our conscience be free, if we can't even have our revenge? The only thing that could satisfy us if we ripped Alpha limb from limb, tore out his heart while still alive, eat it, and drenched ourselves in his blood. That is the only recourse we have, but because he self-destructed, that has been denied to us as well! It's really burning us, you know! It really is!"

"Besides, I can't stay in the house, where one of the occupants is partly, if indirectly, responsible for Dad's death!"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Bubbles retorted. "Nobody here is responsible!"

"Well, if Blossom hadn't got herself kidnapped three frickin' times, then maybe we won't have to rescue you three times, and then maybe, we'd be able to hide out in Townsville and train, but no, you have to be a big sore thumb that needed to rescued! Guess what? It was Dad who came up with the plan, and since there are no other choices, he has to go in and be the one to personally rescue you while we distracted Alpha! Oh I wish we could have just left you in Ckracknow's clutches! If we'd done that, Dad would still be alive, you'd still be tied up and gagged but reasonably safe, and I won't have to give this rant!"

"That's low, Brick! That's completely uncalled for! What gall! What nerve!" Blossom shouted back. "Do you really think that I wanted to be kidnapped three times in three days and be tied up and gagged for sixty hours of those 72 hours? Do you really think that I hate Dr. Edwards enough to actually get myself kidnapped three times so he could have been killed on the third rescue attempt? That's ridiculous!"

"You're not thinking rationally," Blossom continued. "You've become unhinged. You've lost your ability to think clearly. You're, dare I say, crazy! Maybe you're not crazy. Maybe all this time, this is all an act. You're still evil! And you're trying to hide the fact all this time! In fact, it made all made sense! I was right when I asserted you were evil, and it's all an act to fool Dr. Edwards into giving you his inheritance! So when he did, you acted incompetently enough so he could be killed! Brilliant!"

"Or if," Blossom continued, goading her counterpart, "you had no evil intentions at all, then you yourself are one responsible for your father's death! Yup, it's your fault your father was killed. Hook. Line. And sinker. Since you are the leader of this alliance, it's ultimately your responsibility. It's your fault you don't have a father, since you shown yourself an incompetent leader! Yes, you're the most incompetent leader I've ever seen! Yes, it's your own fault you and your brothers don't have a father now! And since you are so incompetent, you do not deserve to be leader of this alliance! I demand you step down this instant and let me be the leader!"

"Never! I was elected leader of this Alliance fair and square! If you want to be leader, then we should have another election using the same rules you made while you were leader!" Brick retorted. "And your words about me being to blame are beneath contempt. It is beneath my dignity to reply to such absurd accusations! Especially that, next to Ckracknow, you, Blossom, are the most responsible for my father's death!"

"If you refuse to step down, or change the rules of the election, then this alliance is over! And you're more responsible for Dr. Edwards' death!"

"Well, if that is what you want, so be it! This alliance is over! I am so sick of being teamed up with a loser like you! I am so sick of you, Blossom, I can't take it anymore!" Brick shouted. "In fact, I'm getting out of this hell hole!"

"Fine! Leave! And leave! I'll kick you out of his house if you don't!"

"I will! And I better not see you snooping around my house either!"

"Guys, wait!" Bubbles started, but was stopped by Blossom and ignored by the boys, who left in a huff.

"Don't bother, Bubbles," the pink puff said.

"But, but we can't just let them go, we have too much at stake!" Bubbles protested.

"Look, I have decided to end this alliance, and Brick agreed to it, and that's all there is to it!" Blossom said. "It's his fault. He started it."

"You blew it, Blossom," Buttercup said. "You and Brick have too much pride. And you two didn't make sense at all? I mean destroying the alliance? I may never have liked the idea before, but I know now that working with them, however distasteful it is, is useful, as the fight against Ckracknow shows! And breaking up, for what? Because of something very ridiculous! I mean, really! Blaming each other for the death of Dr. Edwards! That is so ridiculous and so lame! That is the worst excuse to end such a useful alliance!"

"It's his fault!" Blossom said. "He blamed me first! What do you want me to do? Say, 'Hey, you're right! I am responsible for your father's death!' And besides, I'm leader of the Powerpuff Girls, and that's my decision, because I know what's best for us! Besides, I'm sick and tired of taking orders from him!" Blossom ranted before angrily huffing off to her room.

* * *

Meanwhile…

It was already dark out in the night, and very cold. Snow was falling heavily as the Rowdyruff Boys painfully and slowly flew back home.

Brick was angry and bitter, grumbling. His two brothers were shocked and surprised.

"I think both of them are ridiculous," Boomer said to Butch. "I mean, I may not like Blossom, but I sure know that she isn't responsible for Dad's death. It's so ridiculous."

"Yeah," Butch concurred. "I hate Blossom, but you're right. It's bullsh!t. On the plus side, at least it ended this awful alliance and snapped Brick's senses. Now he knows that making an alliance with those good-for-nothing girls is a bad idea. Besides, Blossom had no right accusing Brick of being responsible!"

"Brick," Boomer began. "I know it's wrong for Blossom to blame you, but don't you think you two acted a little too rashly in ending the alliance."

"Look, she broke the straw of the camel's back when she accused me of being responsible for Dad's death. And she wanted to be leader of the alliance, and when she can't, what does she do? She breaks the alliance! So I gave her what she wants. So good riddance to bad rubbish!"

"But you threw away your leadership over the girls. I mean—" Boomer argued.

"Shut up!" Brick suddenly shouted. "I am leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, and you, two, have sworn never to question my orders when I became the leader again, don't you remember? So don't say anything more about this. My decision stands, and nothing you can say will ever make me change my mind. The Alliance is dead!"


	41. A Happy Christmas

****Thanks to all the reviews. And Merry Christmas to all of you! (this chapter was posted on December 25, 2012)

**Allies and Rivals**

**Chapter 41**

**A Happy Christmas**

It was a sullen mood that night when the boys went home. It was such a sorry atmosphere for Christmas Eve in the Utonium residence, since so many bad things happened. There was no joy in their total victory over Ckracknow and his teen-agers as this was negated by what happened to Dr. Edwards, their strained relationship with the boys, and the end of the Ruff-Puff Alliance.

Buttercup and Bubbles was shocked when they saw Blossom fly to their room.

"It's sad. I really like them—the boys you know. They are really nice, even though they say and try to act as if they aren't," Bubbles said.

"I don't disagree with you Bubbles. I don't like them, but, they are useful, and necessary. I'd rather have them as allies than as enemies," Buttercup said.

Suddenly, they heard the Professor coming from his lab. But what was weird was his happy tone.

"Deck the halls with boughs and holly, fa la la la, la la la la!" the Professor loudly sang as he went upstairs to begin cooking dinner. He had a bright expression on is face. "Merry Christmas, girls! What's the matter, girls? Where are the boys?"

"They went home," Bubbles sadly said who could not figure out why the Professor is happy.

"Professor, why are you so happy? I know it is Christmas, but Dr Edwards just died, all of us are depressed and are in mourning, Blossom and the boys are in the dumps and aren't thinking clearly because of it!" Buttercup asked. "And the Ruff-Puff Alliance is gone."

"Ah, so the boys are going home? Yes, that's very good, very good indeed. I'm going to bet the farm that they're going to get a very pleasant surprise when they get home," the Professor said. "Well, enjoy yourselves! I'm going to cook us dinner!"

"What surprise?" asked Buttercup. "You know something we don't! Tell us, your daughters! And why act happy only now?" Buttercup demanded.

"Well, I want the boys to be totally surprised when they see what they're going to see when they come home, so I pretended to be sad," the Professor explained with a grin on his face. "Pretty smart, eh? Now that they're gone, it's safe to act as I really feel!"

"What surprise? Tell us! Tell us!" Bubbles insisted.

"If you insist," Professor Utonium replied. "I'll tell you—tomorrow morning. Think of it as your Christmas present!"

"But—" both girls protested.

"No buts!" the Professor suddenly shouted, silencing both girls. "Now go and play and do whatever you girls do while I go and cook dinner."

The Professor then put a traditional Christmas song CD in the player, put it in full volume, then sang happily with the tune as he trotted towards the kitchen to cook dinner, leaving the girls perplexed.

"I don't get it. What good news could it be that would give the boys a very pleasant surprise?" asked Bubbles.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

"Maybe Dr. Edwards is really alive?"

"No. That can't be. We saw his body!"

"Oh yeah, silly me. Well, I don't know. But I just hope it's really good," said Bubbles. "They could use some cheering up now that Dr. Edwards is gone."

"Right now the secret that the Professor is hiding is making me burn with curiosity. Even more than what our Christmas presents are!"

"I think we should tell Blossom."

"Let her wallow upstairs," Buttercup harshly said. "She needs to be thought a lesson on arrogance."

* * *

Meanwhile…

The snowfall ended as William Bricker Edwards Jr., James Boomer Edwards and Wilbur Butch Edwards approached their home. The winds nearly disappeared, but the cold hadn't subsided. The three boys were thickly bundled as the temperature lowered. Their spirits were low, as they haven't gotten over what happened earlier that day. All three boys had frowns on their faces.

It was quite a surprise for the three to discover the lights on the first floor of their house to be on.

"Someone's in our house," whispered Brick to his brothers. "Look."

"I see it," Butch replied. "But who could it be?"

"I don't know," replied Boomer.

"Nor do I," added Brick.

"Maybe it's Dad?" asked Boomer.

"Nah. He's dead. We even saw his body," Butch said. "It's gotta be a thief!"

"How can it be a thief? Our house has a state of the art security system!" the blue ruff replied.

"Well, we saw how great it is when it totally prevented Blossom being kidnapped!" Brick snapped. "But it couldn't be Dad, and it couldn't be a thief? Maybe it's Mr Clark?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Butch said.

"Right. Okay, let's go and bust whoever this guy is. But let's not be rash. We don't want to kill him—at least immediately. He might be after all, Mr. Clark, or some lawyer of Dad who got his will. If and only if it is a thief do we kill him. Remember, we don't want trouble."

Both his brothers nodded as all three of them stealthily went to their house. They stood at the front door while Brick took his key. They then burst in.

"Okay, who are you and what—" Brick shouted, but froze when he saw the figure standing before them.

Both his brothers were extremely shocked too.

It was Dr. William Knox Edwards Sr., of all people, as alive as they were. He was wearing a blue suit, a red tie, a fedora hat, a coat, with his thick glasses on his head. He was evidently all right, with few scratches and no wounds. He was standing by the fireplace. Besides him were six bags fully packed, and a stream of Christmas presents behind him. He had a cheery look upon his face.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," their father remarked as his three sons looked at him.

"Dad!" the three shouted, and they rushed to the Doctor, hugging him tightly. The move was so sudden that Dr. Edwards fell backwards on to his back.

"Boys, boys, not too much. I might get squeezed!" Dr. Edwards said, but did not try to pry them off.

"Dad, it's so wonderful, you know. I thought you were dead," Brick said.

"Yeah, we really really thought you were dead," Boomer said, with tears again falling from his eyes. "Thank God you're alive and well, Dad."

"I'm glad you're back," Butch said.

Soon, both boys pried themselves from their father.

"But Dad, how the heck did you survive? I mean, I saw you being hit in the heart by Alpha's laser, and being crushed by the falling concrete!" Boomer asked.

"Yeah! We even saw your body, and your crushed head!"

"Well, that body is obviously not mine," said Dr. Edwards. "I mean, I'm still alive and breathing!"

"But what happened?"

"Well, I'll tell you, but not now. Tonight, we're going to get busy," Dr. Edwards said.

"Busy doing what?" asked Butch.

"Well, we're going to my cousin's farm in North Dakota to spend our Christmas vacation."

"North Dakota? But why?" asked Brick.

"Because ever since I've move to Citiesville when I was in college, my cousin Helen Parker, now Mrs. Peter Jenkins, always invited me to spend Christmas in her home, at Maple's Farm, because at that time, my father and I were still estranged. Since then, it had been an annual ritual for me to go there every Christmas and New Year, and I dare say, this year won't be any different except that I'm bringing you three with me. Initially, I thought of cancelling the vacation because of what was happening in Citiesville, but since you defeated Ckracnkow and his five teen-agers, I decided to go ahead. Anyway, it's time for you to meet some of your relatives, don't you think?

"But Dad, don't you think it might be too late? I mean it's only a few hours before Christmas!" Brick asked.

"Don't worry. I know you can fly towards Maple's Farm, North Dakota, in a few hours. What we'll do is we'll pack all these presents in the car. I'll be in the driver's seat, while you three will fly the car to Maple's Farm."

"But—"

"No buts!" Dr. Edwards said with finality, and the boys were cowed. "Don't worry, we'll come back to Townsville the day after New Year, January 2."

"Yes Dad," said the three dejectedly. But it was more than compensated for by their joy at seeing their father alive, well, and himself.

So they loaded the car with their personal belongings, and packed it with gift-wrapped presents.

The boys carefully picked up the car, making sure their father was comfortable inside, then flew fast towards the direction of the Midwestern farm state.

They arrived at about eleven in the evening. The boys were less than thrilled to be there, but they hid it with smiles on their faces as Dr. Edwards introduced them to his cousin and Mr. Jenkins. The couple, both about forty years of age, were warm and hospitable, with their kids already asleep. They immediately gave them something for dinner, after which Dr. Edwards sent the boys to bed. The three adults stayed-up until one in the morning, engaging in small talk with each other.

* * *

It was the morning of December 25…

The boys woke up, and immediately went looking for their father. They saw him in the living room chatting with his cousin and Mr. Jenkins.

"So, did you sleep well?" asked their father.

"Yes Dad," Brick said while yawning. He was still wearing his pajamas.

"Aw. Aren't you kids cute! You're lucky William, for having such smart, strong and cute boys!" Mrs. Jenkins said, then pinched Boomer and Brick's cheeks.

"Dad!" both boys whined.

"If they weren't so much trouble, Helen," Dr. Edwards laughed.

"Well, congratulations on defeating that bastard Ckracknow, and his goons," said Peter Jenkins, shaking each of the boys' hand.

"Say thank you to your Uncle Peter and Aunt Helen," said their father.

"Thanks," they said, trying their very best to act nice for their father's sake. Boomer and Brick had no trouble doing so, while Butch struggled.

"Anyway, I think you better open your presents first. I'll then tell you what happened yesterday," Dr. Edwards instructed.

"Yeah!" the three boys shouted, and started sorting out the enormous pile of gifts under the Christmas Tree.

Anyway, Butch received some toys, five pairs of socks and underwear, two dumbbells where the weight could be adjusted to about 10,000 tons, a barbell that could also be adjusted, a scientific calculator, a set of new clothes, though all in shades of green or black, and three cuffs, identical to that used by Ckracknow on Blossom, but instead of it being made of duranium, it was made of Hardetal.

Boomer received several science books, a laptop, three hardetal cuffs, a scientific calculator, a pair of new socks and underwear, a laboratory and chemistry set, new clothes, a large stuffed animal, a box of crayons, a laptop, a toy rifle, ten water squirters, and a book about cars.

Brick received some toys, a baseball bat made of hardetal, a detective kit, an encyclopedia, several history books, a laptop, two sets of playing cards, a small black notebook, three hardetal cuffs, a blank CD, new socks and clothes and underwear, a thick law book, and a set of toy race cars.

"Wow Dad. Thanks!" Butch could only say.

"Yeah. It's like, you know, the last time you gave us this much stuff is six months ago when you recreated us," Boomer mentioned.

"Wow William. How the hell could you afford all those things?" Mr. Jenkins wondered.

"Well, I am the richest man in Townville," Dr. Edwards boasted, "so I could at least afford to buy presents for my children. Don't worry, I also brought you and your four kids presents."

"Dad, you still haven't told us how you survived?" said Boomer.

"Ah yes, well, I guess I better tell you, huh? But first, let me tell you something. You know that you missed school of a week. So a few days ago, Professor Utonium and I went to your school and talked to the principal and your teachers. Of course, they fully understood the situation, but all of them insisted that not only would you do your missed homework, but you would also catch up on your schooling. So I brought your homework, your notes, and your books with us. Here's the deal. Starting tomorrow, every morning, you'll do every homework that you've missed, copy all your missing notes, and read your books until you have caught up with your classmates. Now, I'm sure because you're vastly more intelligent than your classmates, you'll catch-up in no time. And in the afternoon, you can do whatever you want."

"Oh great. Even during vacation, we still have to do schoolwork!" Butch grumbled.

"Yeah! We saved both Townsville and Citiesville! You'd think they'll cut us some slack," Boomer added.

"This sucks!" Brick said. "Now Dad, tell us what happened yesterday!"

"Okay, here goes. Ah, good morning, Timmy, Keith, Frank and Mary. Brick, Boomer Butch these are your second cousins, the children of your Uncle and Aunt. Timmy, Keith, Frank, Mary, this are my sons, Brick, Butch, Boomer, also known as the Rowdryruff Boys! Now that you know each other, I'll begin."

"I have just killed Ckracksow—"

"Cool! Can you tell us how you killed that bastard?" Boomer interrupted.

"Don't you think it's Ckracknow, Dr. Edwards?" asked Mary.

"And give us all the gruesome details!" Butch added.

"Yeah Dad!" Brick added.

"Okay. So it's like this. The Professor and I had just rescued Blossom, and as a consolation prize, had Ckracklow as our prisoner."

"Tell us how you rescued Blossom!" Brick asked.

"Oh okay," laughed the Doctor. He then told the how he and the Professor got the pink puff, and the aftermath.

* * *

"…My gun closely watched him, making sure that he would go quietly. What I didn't know, however, was that he had a gun concealed under his clothes, and all of a sudden, he pulled it and tried to shoot me. He aimed for my head, but he missed. I returned fire, and hit him in the head, killing him instantly! My sons, you could proudly boast to the world that your father was the one who killed Ferguson Ckrackpot. Anyway, where were we? Ah yes! After shooting him in the head, I then emptied the bullets of my gun into Ckracknor's head, so, by the time I was done, you wouldn't recognize his head from a heap of meat in a butcher shop."

"The next part was a blur. I suddenly felt something powerful hit my chest and I was thrown back, hitting a building as a result, causing the building to collapse over me. Anyway, it was black after that, as I became unconscious. The next thing I remember was someone shouting."

" 'Careful. We don't want to damage any more bodies,' I heard someone say as I emerged from my slumber. I tried moving, but the rocks were too heavy. I feared the worst. Anyway, the rubble around me were soon taken away.

" 'Aw! My head!' said I as soon as I awoke.

" 'He's alive!' several onlookers said.

" 'Of course I'm alive!' I shouted back. I then noticed that I was a mess. My gray suit, coat, and my entire attire were not only messed-up by the dirt of the rubble, but drenched by the blood of the dead bodies above me. Remember, I was at the bottom of the pile, and below me was the ground, while there were other bodies above me, and their blood trickled down to me.

" 'William! I thought you were…but your body…I saw…how could…Yes, you're alive!' Professor Utonium said. I turned and saw the Professor running towards me. He first shook me by the shoulders.

" 'God! What are you doing, John?' said I."

" 'Just making sure you're really alive, and not a ghost!' said he."

" 'Me a ghost? Not alive? Ludicrous! Look at me! Do I look like I'm dead?' said I."

" 'I saw your body, but I guess it's not you,' said John. He then pulled me into a tight hug."

" 'What body?' asked I."

" 'That!' said the Professor, and he pointed to a dead body that is similar in height and width to mine, and wearing the exact clothes—even the hat was the same—that I was wearing. I shuddered, and when I saw it, I didn't blame anyone for thinking that I was dead. And his face was so crushed, and so unrecognizable, that you can't identify him by just looking at him."

" 'Boy. That guy sure looks like you!' the Professor said."

" 'Yeah,' I replied. I then searched his pockets, and got an ID. It turns out that his face was very different from mine, from the nose, to the eyes, to the eyebrows, to the mouth. His name was Jethro Pullings, and he works on the building that just collapsed."

" 'Well, I'm glad you're O.K. The kids, especially the boys, will be very happy. They all think you're dead! In fact, they all thought that that body was really yours! All of them cried. Boomer, Bubbles and even Buttercup fainted,' the Professor said."

" ' So where are the kids?' I asked."

" 'They went home,' the Professor said. 'They were too upset, so I sent them home while I decided to take care of your body. It's a good thing that I stayed behind, or I might have never discovered you under that rubble.' the Professor said."

" 'They're okay? So how did the fight against Alpha go? Tell me everything!' I demanded."

" 'The kids were enraged upon seeing what they thought was your death,' the Professor began. 'They fought bitterly, but it was futile, as Alpha was too strong. I freed Blossom from her cuffs—' "

" 'Wait a minute! Where did you free her? In Citiesville? I thought we can't remove the cuffs until we arrive in the lab at my home,' I asked."

" 'Blossom said that the keys are still in Ckracknow's pocket,' the Professor said. 'So I took it and used it to remove her cuffs and anti-gravity belt.' "

"So where are those cuffs now?" asked Brick, interrupting his father's story telling.

"I asked for it. I reckoned you'd find it useful," Dr. Edwards said. He then took something from his pocket. It was the duranium cuffs with the keys. "And he obliged. Want it?"

"Of course! We'll find it very useful!" Brick said with an evil look on his face. "On villains, and on the girls! Won't they be surprised? Blossom will be freaked out!"

"Okay, but don't play with it too much," the Doctor said, and gave both cuffs to Brick. "Where was I? Oh yes. 'After Blossom was freed, she then proceeded to convince the others to use Ckracknow's device,' the Professor said. 'They succeeded, but Alpha, we all found out, could absorb energy and absorbed all their energies! It was a very bleak moment' the Professor said. 'But he self-destructed—' "

" 'Self-destructed? Why the hell did that happen?' I asked."

" 'I don't know,' the Professor replied. 'All I know is that he self-destructed, and we won as a result.' "

" 'We won? Yes! Yahoo!' I shouted with joy."

"The kids then searched for your body, and seeing Pullings' body, went home. I instructed them and the boys to go to my house. Then we cleared the rest of the rubble, and found you. But tell me William, how the hell were you able to survive a laser through your chest and being hit and buried by concrete? It still baffles my mind how you could survive such a thing!' asked the Professor."

" 'Oh it must be my clothes,' I said. 'You see, this coat of mine, the suit, the pants, the hat, in fact, everything I'm wearing right now is made up of Hardetal, the same armor that my sons and your daughters wore in the past battles. It must have protected me from the falling rubble. As for the laser in the chest—' I then looked at my chest and noticed a hole in my coat, my vest, my tie pin, my necktie, and my shirt. Luckily, I was wearing a locket next to my skin that I just made before, and it's made of Hardetal."

" 'What's that?' asked the Professor who saw a twisted metal hanging by my neck."

" 'Oh it's my lucky charm,' said I. 'It's suppose to be indestructible, since it's made up of hardetal. It's not, as it the perfect flat cylindrical shape was twisted out of shape.' I then removed it, and noticed that the part of my chest touching it was severely burned."

" 'You're one lucky son-of-a-gun, you bastard!' the Professor happily exclaimed."

" 'I guess luck still favors us, you know. I must have done something good,' said I."

" 'Well you did. You raised three wonderful boys, and guided them from being evil to being good boys,' said the Professor."

"The Professor's wrong!" shouted Butch, interrupting the narrative. "We're not good boys! We're loyal, we're tough, we're smart, but good—nah, we're not!"

"As I was saying, the Professor exclaimed, 'this is good news. Let's go home so the kids will know about it and would stop their moping!' "

" 'No. I want you to go home right now and pretend that you think I'm still dead. Don't tell them until tomorrow morning. That way, I can give the ultimate Christmas present to my boys—their father being alive—and you the ultimate present to your girls—the news of me being alive. I'll go home and surprise them when they arrive. I can't wait to see their faces!' I said with glee."

"Dad! Why did you? You shouldn't have waited, but I'm glad you're okay!" Brick said.

"Well, I can still pull off a surprise or two, you know! Well, let's relax. There's no great evil threatening Townsville, Citiesville, or any other city or place for that matter, and I'm alive," Dr. Edwards said.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Professor, Professor, wake-up!" Bubbles said, shaking the sleeping Professor.

The Professor woke-up, rubbed his eyes, stretched, and looked at his watch. He then saw Bubbles and Buttercup hovering over. "Girls, it's half past five! It's still dark!"

"Yeah, but it's Christmas morning, and you still have to tell us what the surprise is," Bubbles said excitedly, though her enthusiasm was severely tempered by the fact that she still thinks Dr. Edwards was dead and she was still thinking about how sad a Christmas the boys must be having.

Buttercup herself had a heavy heart. "Professor, you said you have a very pleasant surprise! I can't wait for it! You gotta tell us!"

"Okay, okay, I'm telling. But first, where is Blossom? Get her so all three of you are here when I tell the good news."

The two girls, still in their nightgowns, hurriedly went and got Blossom, still sleeping. The Professor then dressed and went to the living room, where he waited for the girls.

They arrived, still in their nightgowns. Blossom had a sad look on her face. "What is it, Professor?" she asked in a dead tone.

"Hm, get dressed first," the Professor said.

"Yes Professor," Buttercup, with a frown on her face, said.

A minute later, they came down wearing their usual green, blue, and pink dresses.

"So, what's the good news?" asked Buttercup.

"Well, I am proud to inform you that Dr. Edwards is alive, and is now with his sons enjoying the holidays," he announced.

The girls were shocked, and there was silence for a minute as they tried to digest the information.

"He's alive? Yipee! Yes! He's alive! He's alive. And the boys are happy! It is a happy holiday after all!" shouted Bubbles with glee. "Yes! Yahoo!"

"But the body, we saw—" Buttercup began.

"It was not Dr. Edwards. It was somebody with the same height and wore the same clothes as him. Notice the crushed head hid his face? In actuality, the person who died and whom we mistook for the Doctor was Jethro Pullings."

"But how could he survive those rubble? And where did you find him?" asked Blossom.

"His attire, including his hat, was made of Hardetal."

"How about the laser that hit his chest?" asked Buttercup.

"His clothes, and a circular pendant hanging from his neck stopped it. I found him at the bottom of the pile of rubble."

"So he's alive?" asked Blossom.

"As alive as you and me," the Professor replied.

Buttercup and Blossom looked at each other, and shouted.

"Yes! He's alive!" Blossom shouted.

"I'm glad he ain't dead!" Buttercup added, jumping around.

"I was wrong. This isn't a sad Christmas after all!" Blossom added.

They were shouting and screaming in joy.

"Hey I know," said Bubbles. "Let's go to their home and congratulate them! I mean it's so unbelievable!"

"I'm afraid you can't do that. You see, William and the boys went on vacation," said the Professor.

"Aw. Do you know where he went?" asked Blossom.

"No I don't. But you still haven't opened your presents!" the Professor said.

"Presents!" the three girls shouted, and they rushed to open their gifts.

Blossom received a red dress, a microscope, a science book, a red ribbon, a calculator, and some dolls. Buttercup received a pair of hardetal cuffs, a green dress, boxing gloves, a violent Schwarzenegger movie, and a tape-recorder. Bubbles received a frilly light blue dress, three boxes of crayon, pencils, five coloring books, three stuffed animals, and and some dolls.

At that moment, the door bell rang. "I'll get it," the Professor said.

It was a young man, a delivery guy. "John Utonium?"

"Yes. It's me."

"Well, I have a delivery for you. Sign here."

"But I didn't order anything."

"Well, it's from somebody else. From one William K. Edwards."

"Oh yes. Bring it inside."

The delivery guy put a large box, as tall as the Professor's shoulder, and signed the form.

'I wonder what he gave me?' wondered the Professor. 'Oh well, only one way to find out!"

He opened the box, and to his extreme surprise, he saw a set of golf clubs, and not just any set of golf clubs, but the _Pro Excellence 2000 golf clubs. _He then saw a note written nearby. It read:

_Heard you and Blossom got into a bit of trouble because of these golf clubs. Don't worry, I have my own set. See you at summer, where I'll crush you with my golfing prowess._

_Merry Christmas,_

_William Edwards_

* * *

Later…

The girls were in their room, busy minding their new toys. Bubbles and Blossom were trying out their new dresses, while Buttercup is playing with her tape recorder. They engaged in small talk till they talked about the boys.

"Blossom, do you think we'll be friends and allies of the boys?" asked Bubbles as she looked at herself in the mirror admiring her new clothes.

"Yes, we will," Blossom said as she put on her new dress. "I now regret those words I said to Brick, you know, blaming him for his father's death. I wasn't clearly thinking, and it was very foolish of me to break the alliance because of it. But since Dr. Edwards is alive, I'm going to apologize to him, and hopefully, they can forgive me."

"At least you learned your lesson," said Buttercup. "Hey, I got it on tape. Want to hear yourself talk?"

"Nevermind," Blossom said. "However, it does offer possibilities."

"What do you mean?" asked Bubbles.

"You see, since the alliance is gone, so is Brick's leadership of it. If we are to re form the Ruff-Puff Alliance, then the leadership would be wide open, and I'm going to grab the chance!"

* * *

Later, late in the afternoon…

Blossom had just finished spell checking the document she was typing. She then read it one last time:

_Dear Brick,_

_I am very sorry for blaming you for your father's death, and calling you an incompetent leader. I was angry, and distraught, and not thinking clearly. I'm very sorry. No one but Mr. Ckracknow and Alpha was to blame for what happened. And you are a very good leader. Not as good as me, but good nonetheless._

_And I expect you too to apologize for blaming me for your father's death._

_I heard that Dr. Edwards is alive. That is joyous news. I am very happy for you and your father. May you have a Merry Christmas._

_Also, there is the business of the alliance. I think we both agree that dissolving the alliance was a very bad idea, especially since the reasons for doing so were so ludicrous. So I propose we reform it, so we can best optimize our talents in protecting Townsville._

_However, since the alliance was dissolved, you are no longer the leader. Hence, we must make new arrangements for selecting the new leader. With this in mind, I suggest we reform the alliance with me as leader because we all know I am the best leader there is among all of us six. This fact is indisputable._

_BTW, the clause regarding me being the leader upon the reformation of the alliance is non-negotiable._

_Blossom_

Blossom smiled after reading it. She then copied it to her email, typed Brick's email address, and pressed send. She smiled and congratulated herself as she began forming plans in her mind to make sure she would be the leader over Brick.

However, Blossom had no idea that Maple's Farm had no internet connection and Brick wouldn't be able to read it until he came back with his brothers on January 2.

But it would set off the third struggle for leadership since the formation of the Ruff Puff Alliance.


	42. Tying Up Loose Ends

**Allies and Rivals II**

**Chapter 42 **

**Tying Up Loose Ends**

The Town of Citiesville was slowly recovering from the devastation that occurred as a result of the invasion of Ckracknow. Most of its tall buildings were wrecked, more than half of the original inhabitants were dead, and a small but sizable minority fled to neighboring Townsville.

Mayor Malarkey worked hard to rebuild the pieces of his city. Getting a five billion dollar check from Dr. Edwards, he used the fund, plus those donations from concerned citizens, to clear the rubble and hire a ferry to provide temporary transportation to the city. He then had the power plants and the wire connections to the city fixed so that the people could have power, and he fixed the water system, all in just a few days.

Julian Malarkey grew in stature and affection among the citizens of his city and that of Townsville, but the old mayor himself knew of a secret that could sink his reputation. The tapes that caught him conspiring with Ferguson Ckracknow were the smoking gun that could ruin him forever, but he knew, that unless he reneged on his agreements, it was unlikely that Dr. Edwards, the one who possessed the tapes, would bring it to the media.

Most of the refugees who fled to Townsville had returned, and are now rebuilding the city. Finally, four days after the defeat of Ckracknow, Mayor Malarkey decided to keep one of his promises—to hold a ticker tape parade in Citiesville, and to publicly thank the heroes for the service they have done.

* * *

It was December 28…

The Mayor of Citiesville grabbed the phone of his temporary, makeshift office, and called Dr. Edwards. But no one answered the phone, so he called Professor Utonium instead.

"Hello," answered the Professor.

"Professor, this is the Mayor of Citiesville, Julian Malarkey."

"Yes, Mayor," the Professor replied with a polite, though cold, voice.

"I'd want to arrange a ticker parade in honor of the saviors of Citiesville, and to formalize my apology to Mr. Edwards," Malarkey explained. "So could you get in touch with Mr. Edwards? I'd like to set the schedule for the event, so I need to know when he is free."

"William is not here. He is on vacation, I think, and I don't know where he is right now," said Professor Utonium. "He'd be back by the second of January, by the way. Sarah Bellum also called so Townsville could arrange a victory parade."

"Hm. Professor, are you willing to help me arrange the affair? I know that I have done you and Mr. Edwards wrong, and I want to make it up, especially now that I'm indebted to you for saving what's left of the city. I'm really really sorry for what happened—especially the riots."

"I forgive you," the Professor said. "But you need to apologize to William. He does not forgive easily. Trust me, I know, so you might want to work with your apology, especially since he had a bone to pick with you long before he moved back to Townsville."

"I know. Will you be an intermediate between me and Mr. Edwards? Just tell him to come to Citiesville, let's say, January 3?"

"Okay, I'll try. But try to make a back-up schedule in case he doesn't return," said the Professor. "But in the meantime, I'd suggest you start your preparations."

* * *

It was January 2, the next year, and Dr. Edwards and his sons had just returned from their vacation at Maple's Farm. It was an enjoyable time, even though it was freezing in the North Dakota Farm, and all there were was plains as far as the eye can see. Dr. Edwards used the time to help his cousin in her work by chopping firewood and such, while the boys also did their bit of work. They, as Dr. Edwards stipulated, studied in the morning, but as they were bright young lads, they quickly finished the schoolwork they missed by December 27. They spent the rest of the vacation playing in the snow, and did their best to ignore their distant relatives. After celebrating New Year's Day, they went home.

Dr. Edwards was reading his newspapers while his kids were skating in the frozen lake. There was a knock on the door.

He went and opened it, and there was Professor Utonium, Ms. Keane, Ms. Bellum and the Powerpuff Girls with skates and sleds. The girls immediately dropped their stuff and suddenly hugged the father of the Rowdyruff Boys. After all, it was the first time they saw him after he was buried in the rubble.

"I, Doctor, I knew you were alive, but seeing you stand there—actually alive—is kinda, well, you know what I mean," Blossom said, for the first at a loss for words.

"Yeah! The Professor told us how you survived, and wow! It's so cool! I mean, I never thought you'd wear an armored suit! I'm just glad you're alive. Now the boys won't be evil again!" Buttercup said.

"Oh you're alive!" Bubbles shouted as she kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tightly around the neck. "I'm so happy when I've heard. The boys, well, they were so sad, and well, here you are!"

"Thanks," said Dr. Edwards.

"Congratulations. You, the Professor, your boys, and the girls have defeated Ckracknow and the five teen-agers. After watching your performances, both of you, I, on behalf on Townsville, thank you not only from ridding Citiesville of those five teen-agers, but for preventing them from wreaking havoc on Townsville," Ms. Bellum said.

"Oh don't be so formal, Sarah," the Professor said. "We all know that although we contributed a lot to this victory, both William and I know that our kids did more. A lot more."

"Um, Professor, where are the boys?" asked Bubbles.

"Oh they're outside, in the lake, skating I think," said Dr. Edwards.

"Thanks!" said the girls as they raced out of the house.

* * *

The girls went to the frozen lake, where they saw the boys skating, and trying to outdo each other in performing outrageous stunts, liberally using their powers.

"Hey, bet you can't do this!" shouted Boomer as he wrote his complete name on ice in two seconds.

"Heh, that's baby stuff!" Brick said. "Look at this!" He then raced towards the middle of the lake and made a line—a perfectly straight line. He then went back to them, and then drew two perfect circles.

"That's nothing!" Butch said. "Here! Watch me!"

He then stomped his foot on the ice, and it broke up.

"You imbecile!" Boomer shot back. "How the hell is breaking the ice better? Any heckler with strong feet could do that! And you ruined our lake. How could we skate if the ice is broken up?"

"Brick could easily fix that with his ice breath. And you did notice that all the pieces of broken ice have the same size?"

"By golly, you're right!" Brick said as the three boys looked into the lake and saw blocks of ice floating in the lake with the same size as each other, though it had of course, different shapes.

"Boys!" the three of them heard. Turning their heads, they saw that it was the girls.

"Oh what do they want now?" asked Butch, annoyed. "Can't they leave us alone?"

"I think they want to join the fun, you know, skate with us," suggested Boomer.

"Hi boys!" said Bubbles in a friendly tone. "What are ya' doing, and can we join in?"

"How are you?" Blossom said enthusiastically.

"I didn't remember you acting like this when we last saw each other," Brick said pointedly.

"Look, I'm very very sorry for saying that you were the one to blame for what happened to Dr. Edwards," Blossom said. "But you already know this since I wrote it in the email."

"What email?" asked Brick.

"What, you haven't read it yet?"

"How could I? They didn't have any internet connection there, you know, and I haven't opened my computer since I arrived," Brick replied.

"Oh! But still, I'm very very sorry for what I said. It was mean and insensitive of me to blame you. But you also blamed me! And you blamed me first! But I shouldn't have blamed you back. It only added fuel to the fire. I wasn't thinking clearly, you know."

"Look, I don't give a damn if you apologized or not," Brick said. "It was clear that you weren't thinking right, and I don't blame you. You're right. I shouldn't have blamed you. I was wrong. Seeing Dad die screwed up my thinking, and it only came back when I saw Dad alive again. I'm not angry with you now, and I'm glad you're not angry with me either. But this is not an apology! I am not going to apologize to an ugly girl like you!"

Blossom simply ignored the last part and hugged him. "Thanks Brick. I accept your apology, as you did mine."

Brick was surprised and roughly pushed the pink puff away. "What? I never gave an apology, and I sure as hell didn't accept any apology from you."

"Yes you did! You just won't admit it!" Blossom said. "It's clear from your face, and the actual words, you know. I know you well enough that I can read you like a book! Anyway, I'd like to re-form the alliance."

"Oh yes, the alliance," Brick said. "I haven't had my mind on that for a while. So we re-form, and I remain the leader, and that's it."

"Wait a minute, who says you are still the leader?" Blossom said, changing her expression from humble and sincere to defiant.

"Well, why am I not?" asked Brick. "Nothing's changed."

"Well, because when we agreed to dissolve this alliance, then your leadership of it was gone, because how could you be the leader of the alliance if the alliance itself didn't exist?"

"Oh not another who should be the leader argument!" Buttercup said to Bubbles.

"I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship wit the boys," Bubbles worriedly said.

"The nerve of that girl, saying Brick is no longer leader," Butch said to Boomer.

"Yeah," Boomer can only say.

"Ridiculous! If re-form the alliance, then the status-quo at the end of the earlier alliance should be what prevails in the new one, which means I should remain leader. Of course, if you want to hold another election with the rules you previously agreed to, we can."

"Oh no," Blossom said. "Since the alliance was dissolved, then all the rules go with it! Sorry. We must make new rules!"

"I don't think so!" Brick then drew his ultimate trump card. "If you don't agree with me continuing on as leader, then I won't agree with re-forming the alliance."

"Well, if that it's how it is to be, then fine!" Blossom said. "I demand that we make new rules to select the next leader! If you don't want to, then fine! No alliance!"

"Okay, let's change the rules. How about this? We play poker," Brick, who regularly played poker with his brothers, said. "The winner will be the leader."

"No. I'm not that good at poker," Blossom replied. "How about this? We answer a science pop quiz from the Professor and whoever gets the highest score wins!"

"No," said Brick, who was not as good at science as Blossom. "I say history!"

"No. I know, we'll see who'll look better wearing a dress, or a gown, or a skirt!" Blossom said.

"How about trimming your hair to only half an inch and the one who looks better will be the leader!" Brick replied.

"How about those that didn't resign as leader before becomes leader now?"

"How about you not get yourself kidnapped three times, and if you don't, then you'll be the leader. Oh I forgot, you already got yourself kidnapped thrice, so I should be the leader!"

"Will you two shut up?" Buttercup suddenly shouted.

"Stay out of this," both Brick and Blossom suddenly shouted at Buttercup.

"How about fishing, and the one who catch the most wins?" Brick suggested.

"How about the one with the longer hair be the leader?"

"How about an eating competition?"

"Okay, okay, we're not making any sense here. I suggest we meet again tomorrow, and in the meantime, we should find ways on how to resolve this," Blossom suggested.

"If that is what you want, then okay," Brick said, smirking. "But I'm going to remain the leader no matter what."

"We'll see, Brick, we'll see," Blossom replied, folding her hands confidently. "Go to our house at nine in the morning."

"Sure. Whatever," Brick said. "I'll even go alone. Though I won't budge at all."

"Um, by the way, guys, uh, could we girls play here the rest of the day?" Bubbles asked.

"What did Dad say?" asked Brick.

"We can," replied Buttercup.

"Well, I'm not stopping you," Brick said.

"Thanks!" Bubbles screeched, grabbing both her sisters towards the ground, where she started building snowmen.

"Come on guys, let's go to the mountain and snowboard," said Butch.

"Yeah, before that poor excuse of a girl called Blossom makes me insane," said Brick, and the three boys headed towards the mountain.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"So you're saying, John, is that sonofab!tch, Malarkey, after all that he had done, is doing all this for us?" asked an incredulous William Edwards.

"Oh come on, William, he did say he was very sorry you know, and he wants to tell us how grateful he is," said Professor Utonium.

"That poor excuse of mayor is full of bull!" replied Dr. Edwards. "I wouldn't trust any word of his."

"Come on William," Ms Bellum argued. "Go to Citiesville tomorrow afternoon! I mean, I'd like to see you, John, and the kids honored! You could just see the pride, the exhilaration, when the people of Townsville see you on television, the eight of you riding in an open car, people on the streets, and on the windows cheering you on in gratitude, the ticker tape falling off on the sky, all in honor of you, and in another town I might add! And that after going through another ceremony in Townsville thanking you eight for your contribution."

"Besides," Ms. Keane said, "it'll be good for your business, because think of the image of you and your sons receiving a thank you from the Mayor of the town that threw out your company from his city. Think of all the millions of dollars it would draw!"

"Well, if you put it that way, I'll go," the doctor finally said.

"Good. Anyway, William, I want you and your boys to be prepared at seven tomorrow. Make sure you wear your best. I think the suit you're wearing right now we'll do just fine, and your kids needed to wear suits and ties too. Professor, you should wear a dark colored suit, and your daughters should wear something more formal," Miss Bellum instructed.

Dr. Edwards and Professor Utonium nodded.

The four adults spent the next few minutes engaging in small talk, talking about their vacations, what happened in their personal lives, how he survived and finally, the fight.

"So, how did you defeat Alpha? You already told us how you survived the laser blast, so tell us now how did he die," said Ms. Keane. "I know both of you men told us that he self-destructed, buy why? I mean, he is all powerful, then he suddenly just explodes?"

"I don't know. I still have no idea," Dr. Edwards replied.

"But I do!" the Professor said.

All eyes then turned to the scientist.

"You see, it's really simple. I've read and studied and analyzed the data we took from Ckracknow's second island. Normally, you can increase your power and energy, and you can have as much power as you can as long as it is accompanied by physical training. You see those happening with our kids. As long as your physical strength corresponds to your energy and power, you'd be alright."

"Now, the problem with Alpha, was that, his physical strength and training didn't go up commensurate with his increase of energy and power. According to Blossom, he got so strong not because he trained hard, but because he used a device that artificially increased his power and energy, and even his physical strength. I don't know what glue Ckracknow was sniffing when he made the device and ordered Alpha to use it, because, according to my research, his physiology was strained at that moment, but it was still capable of holding it. What really brought down the house was when he absorbed not only the energies of the six kids, but he absorbed it after the kids had also used that device to increase their energy. It was too much. In the end, his body couldn't hold it, and he self-destructed as a result. And the funny thing was, he won't have self destructed if he absorbed the energy of only five of the kids after they used the device. But five is the limit. Six is too much. And he paid for it."

"But how about the kids? You're saying that since they also used the device, then not only are they significantly stronger, but they too are put at risk since they got a large amount of energy and power artificially?" asked Dr. Edwards.

"I thought that too, but according to tests I conducted, my girls remained at the same level, at 32, before they used the device. Now, reading Ckracknow's notes on the subject, I came to the conclusion that during the explosion, the original power and energy of the kids came back to them, but the power that they got from using the device was lost. And it is good news indeed. If they retained the power, it would be very dangerous for the kids, since it would make them extremely unstable and might cause them to break down into their ingredients."

"Wow, that was a lot of work. I bet you spent the entire Christmas season studying Tracknow's notes?" Dr. Edwards said.

"Yeah!" the Professor said. "But from what I learned, it was worth it."

"The funny thing is," Ms Keane added, "that because of this crisis, even some of the resident villains got some rewards."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Dr Edwards.

"Well," the Professor began, "the city, after releasing the 20,000 rioters and sending the refugees home, decided to honor the citizens who participated in quelling the riot. You know, after Brick made that speech, ten thousand Townies went and beat up the Citiesville rioters?"

"Go on," said Dr Edwards.

"Well, we decided to give them ribbons and a certificate thanking them," Ms Bellum said. "Did you know that Mojo Jojo, the Gang Green Gang, Fuzzy Lumpinks, and Femme Fetale actually were part of the 10,000 townies?"

"Really?" Dr Edwards said. "Why would they do that?"

"Well, we asked, and it seems," the Professor said, "they just want to beat someone up, and joining that anti riot brigade was a legitimate way to do it. Did you now that Mojo beat up about twenty rioters with a stick, Fuzzy about a hundred with his banjo, and the Gang Green Gang seemed to have five hundred between them all? They told us it was the most fun they had for a while!"

* * *

The next day, January 3…

It was the day when Townsville was to thank their heroes. First, at seven in the morning, an open air limousine went to Professor Utonium's house. The Professor and the girls were ready. The Professor was wearing a black suit and a blue tie, while his girls were wearing long puffed up frilly formal dresses that touches the ground, the kind that parents like to make little girls to wear. Having already eaten breakfast, they went to the back of the limo. The driver drove to the center of Townsville. The girls and the Professor waved at the people who went out to see them.

At the same time, another open-air limousine stopped by Dr. Edwards house. Dr Edwards and his three sons were all wearing suits, ties and such, and the only difference was the color of their ties, with Brick wearing a red one, Boomer a blue one, while Butch a green one. Brick and his father wore a vest and a hat in addition to those. They quickly went to the limousine, having already eaten their breakfast an hour ago. Soon, they were driving towards the city.

A half-hour later, the two limousines met in an intersection near the center of Townsville, and both of the cars slowly went towards City Hall where the Mayor and Ms. Bellum were waiting. The limo containing the Utoniums came first, the one containing the Edwardses came next.

As they entered the streets lined with tall buildings, they were greeted by a hearty, loud welcome. The limousine slowed, as well as the accompanying motorcycles. Thousands of people lined the streets, and from the windows of the buildings, cheering and shouting, throwing confetti, while a band played _Stars and Stripes Forever, _and other patriotic songs. Flags were everywhere, draping every possible space. There was a warplane that skywrote the words "thank you" on the sky. All the Utoniums waved and smiled at the crowd, as did Dr. Edwards and Boomer. Brick just smiled without waving, while Butch scowled.

The path of the modern triumph went through a zig-zag pattern, covering as much space in the city as could be, the limo going painfully slow.

At City Hall, the Mayor and Ms. Bellum, plus councillors and scores of other city officials, waited. Finally, at ten, after two hours of slogging through the streets amid the throng of adoring crowds, confetti, and police, they finally arrived at City Hall.

The eight then took seats besides the officialdom. Each one of the city officials gave lengthy speeches on how great the kids were. Soon, the heroes became bored. Brick stifled the desire to yawn, clutching in his hand his tiny fedora hat as his mind drifted to other things. Boomer continually adjusted his tie, as if he can't decide if it's too tight or too loose. Butch fiddled with his handkerchief because there was nothing else to do. Blossom sat erect and proud, though she was bored as hell. Buttercup can't wait for this to be over so she can ditch the large confining formal dress and wear her more comfortable green dress. Bubbles fiddled with the ruffles and frills and ribbons of her dress. Professor Utonium kept looking at his watch, and at the schedule of events, wanting it to be over. Dr. Edwards just sat and listened to the speeches, though it became boring and his mind drifted to other things. The crowd simply cheered at every reference to the kids.

Pretty soon, it was the mayor's turn to speak, and it was quite forgettable. He then opened the awarding part of the ceremony. In all, Dr. Edwards and the Professor got a silver medal, a cash prize of ten thousand dollars, and a plaque honoring them.

The kids each received five trophies, a one hundred dollar cash prize, gold medals, and a ribbon of approval.

Brick also formally laid down the dictatorial powers he was given during the crisis. And because he was known and recognized that he was the leader of the six kids, and that he organized and directed the entire operation, he received a leadership plaque award and an extra gold medal, a trophy, and a blue ribbon. His brothers and Bubbles simply applauded in appreciation, Buttercup politely clapped, while Blossom was jealous of the extra honors bestowed upon her rival and fellow leader.

* * *

After that, they immediately went to Citiesville. The kids were by this time grumbling about having to act and dress so formal and so long.

They expected that Citiesville would give a cool reception. They expected silence, since much of the people of Citiesville would remember how the refugees were treated. They even feared that they might be booed.

They soon arrived at Citiesville at about half past two, where a pontoon bridge was hastily constructed over the water in the past few days. The limos passed it over.

What greeted them were dour expressions, frowning faces, and total silence. The kids and the two scientists shuddered.

Suddenly, there was a definite roar of approval from the crowd. The frowns turned into grins, the dour expressions became cheerful. "Long live the Rowdyruff Boys! Long live the Powerpuff Girls!" "Thanks for saving our city!" "You're the greatest!" "For they are jolly good fellows!" were just samples of the shouts coming from the crowd. It was deafening. Then there are the signs and placards. "PPG and RRB rocks! Ckracknow sucks!" read one, while another read, "We're sorry for how we treated you". Another has a drawing of Blossom standing on the carcass of Delta, while another placard saw a drawing of Dr. Edwards shooting Ckracknow, with the words, "Don't Mess With Us!" Another has a sign that read, "Babes for the RPA!" (Ruff-Puff Alliance) Another sign says, "Billy and Jack rule!" (a reference to William and John). There were giant photographs of each of the six kids. There was tons of red, while, and blue, and lots of flags. The band that marched before the slowly moving limos played the same patriotic songs. Tons of ticker tapes could be seen, and it was raining confetti. Even the refugees that rioted in Townsville joined in the celebrations.

The city itself, nine days after the final battle, had improved. Mayor Malarkey certainly did a fine job. After holding a mass burial for the victims of the attack, they began cleaning-up the mess, first by clearing the rubble, then restoring the electricity, water, and telephone lines, and constructing a temporary pontoon bridge in addition to employing ferries, using the five billion loan. Mayor Malarkey was at his finest and most inspirational as he summoned his city to rise again, and at the moment, his approval ratings were in the 90's. Soon, the city began humming.

Dr. Edwards, Professor Utonium and their kids saw a lot of blank spaces on the sides of the streets, indicating buildings that were destroyed and cleaned up after the fight. Business was in full swing, as the newly recruited police were able to keep law and order (it helped that a lot of the criminals were killed during the crisis). The construction boom, the work or restoring services to the city, and the fact that many people died, meant all people in Citiesville were gainfully employed. Morale among the people were high.

The Utoniums and Edwardses were stunned, shocked, and surprised. They were also happy. It was so unexpected that they would receive such an enthusiastic reception that they began to wonder if this was indeed Citiesville. Indeed, as they passed through the streets, many Citiesvillans would go and offer bouquets of flowers, presents, and other things.

As a result, both men and all the kids, including Brick and Butch, waved and smiled at the crowds. After one hour of touring the city and having their cars filled with confetti, they finally arrived at the makeshift City Hall where they were seated besides the officialdom of Citiesville. It was perhaps the most telling that Dr. Edwards still refused to shake Mayor Malarkey's hand—and was the only one not to and the only official whose hands Dr. Edwards did not shake. The kids again had to endure listening to at least a dozen wooden speakers. Then Malarkey spoke.

"On behalf of the Great City of Citiesville, I want to say, thank you from the bottom of our hearts," he began. "In the last month of last year, Citiesville was put to greater test that has ever befallen city. We were attacked. Much of the city was destroyed. Half of our people were killed. Nothing seemed to able to stop them. And it seemed as if this great city of ours would sink to the abyss. Yet, when we were in the deepest valley gorge, stuck in the darkness, we looked up, and we saw the light emanating from above. And our hopes were up. We owe our lives, and our city to eight people; six of them superheroes and hardly seven years of age, while the two were their fathers. Yet, as much as we like it to be, we do not deserve their help. Who can forget the time when Professor Utonium and his girls went here to live the first time? And we treated them like dirt. And how do they repay us? They saved our city. I, on behalf of the city, am very sorry for how we treated you. Please forgive us, Professor, girls."

That part reduced Bubbles to tears, and the Professor became emotional. It had zero effect on the boys and their father, though Dr. Edwards himself was surprised at his apology.

"But a greater sin I have committed against the father of the Rowdyruff Boys," Malarkey continued. "How could I have shown my face to him, and on top of that, begged him to send his boys to help us? Yes, we all know that William Edwards lived here for nearly twenty years before leaving this city in disgust. I can only say that I was the cause of it. My short-sightedness, my greed, my pride made me persecute him just because of his wealth, his power, and his intelligence, and because of that, our city lost him. So, Dr. William Edwards, I apologize to you. I am very sorry for having acted the way I did."

Dr. Edwards was stunned. He never expected Malarkey to publicly apologize. He thought that he was too proud to do that. But he was wrong.

"And, I admit, how I acted from the day Ferguson Ckracknow attacked was a disgrace. I am very sorry. Now, because of you eight, our enemies were vanquished and our city could once again heal itself and grow. God bless and thanks."

There was a standing ovation as he ended his speech. All the kids, Professor Utonium, and even Dr. Edwards stood and heartily applauded his speech. Professor Utonium went and shook his hand, went to the podium, and said before the cameras and the crowds, "Don't think about it! Of course we forgive you!" he said with a smile.

Dr. Edwards then went and in gushing symbolism, shook his hand. "You bastard! You've put me in a box and I would have to forgive you! Rest assured that I will forgive you, but I would still keep the incriminating tapes in case you try to renege on your agreements," Dr. Edwards whispered to the mayor.

"Fine by me!" Malarkey said.

Dr. Edwards then went and replaced the Professor in the podium. "I'm glad you realized your mistakes. So you are forgiven," before going out and joining his kids.

* * *

Later that night…

It was about nine in the evening, and the girls were getting ready to sleep. Blossom already had gone to bed, and Bubbles, already in her nightgown, was about to join her when Buttercup yanked her by the arm.

"Hey, I'm going to bed," Bubbles shot back.

"Look. I've got a feeling that tomorrow morning, Blossom and Brick won't agree on who will be the leader, and as a result, there won't be an alliance," said Buttercup, with a sneaky grin on her face. "Now, I have a plan that not only would force them to settle who is going to be the leader and continue the alliance, but would teach them for being too bossy!"

"I don't think we need to do that," Bubbles said. "I mean, they can settle that leader thing you know. They've done so twice in the past so why would they fail now?"

"Look, they both want to be the leader, and I don't think they'd fall for any trick of the other designed to make him or her the leader. And if they don't, this alliance will break apart," Buttercup said.

"So who do you prefer to be the leader?" asked Bubbles.

"Blossom. But frankly, I don't care, as long as those two settle it. And with my plan, they would have to settle their dispute."

"Wow, I never knew you'd be so attached to the alliance as I am," said Bubbles.

"I'm not. I just want to get back at them for being so bossy all this time!" Buttercup said. "We can have our revenge!"

"But how do we get back at them? I still don't get it!"

"Well, you know Brick is going here alone tomorrow morning at nine, right? So here's what we do…" Buttercup then revealed her plan.

"Um, don't you think they might not like it?" asked Bubbles, concerned after hearing about it.

"Well, we did it before, so they did it to us, and nobody got upset too much, so they have no right to complain! Besides, the point is that they would not like it so much that they would have to settle their dispute. Besides, you'd get your alliance preserved for sure, while I get my payback!"

"Well, if you're so sure, then okay!" Bubbles said.

"Then let's shake on it!" Buttercup said.

"Okay," Bubbles said, then they both shook hands before joining Blossom in bed.


	43. New Leadership Arrangements

**Allies and Rivals II**

* * *

This is the last chapter of this story. So please review and tell me what you think.

* * *

**Chapter 43**

**New Leadership Arrangements**

* * *

The City of Townsville, and it was the morning of January 4th. It was a few days before their vacation ended and school begins again. But the main concern of the kids was far from school.

It was eight in the morning. The Professor was sitting on the table, reading a paper while the girls were serving him and themselves breakfast. The girls were eating. Buttercup and Bubbles exchanged a glance at each other while Blossom delivered a tedious lecture.

"And furthermore, the rate of increase of the speed of Jupiter is non-existent, as it is apparent, for the time of revolution around the star of this system is one and ten years, or in otherwise eleven years, which is quite slow in comparison to it's rotation which is only ten earth hours, and in stark contrast to Mercury, which takes nearly ninety days to rotate. Anyway, four of Jupiter's largest moons, Ganamede, Callisto, Europa, and Iota or something, I'm not sure, was discovered by Galileo in 1611. Some of those moons are even larger than some of our terrestial planets, or rocky ones," Blossom explained. "If you do not believe me, go to page 413 column A line 13 of _The Solar System_ by Paul Wilkinson, Professor of Astronomy, or go look to letter J in encyclopaedia Americana or anything else. That is why, you Buttercup, are absolutely wrong in your answer to Bubbles' question, and that is the true answer to the question of Bubbles!"

"Huh?" Bubbles replied, what Blossom was saying going in over her head. "What?"

"Know-it-all!" Buttercup sneered.

"Of course I know it all!" Blossom defended. "I know more about any subject than you, since I read so many books and I've asked the Professor so many questions! Right Professor. Professor? Professor!"

"Whatever you say, Blossom. Now tell me, what is antonym of astonish that has eight letters, begins with the letter W and ends with an E?" the Professor absentmindedly asked while trying to answer the crossword puzzle.

"Whatever," Buttercup said. "Hey Blossom, could you teach me some of your special techniques, you know, the one with the fancy movements and all? Now?"

"I don't know. Maybe later. I do have to discuss with Brick about who should be the leader of the alliance, you know," said Blossom.

"Oh don't worry. I'll be here waiting for him, and I'll call you when he arrives," said Bubbles.

"I don't know," said Blossom. "I don't like teaching you one-on-one. I like it better if Bubbles is with us so I can give you both a lecture."

"Well Red, I want it one-on-one, and if you don't like it, then forget about it," said Buttercup.

Blossom, not wanting to miss teaching Buttercup the real way of fighting, relented. "I'm glad that you finally decided that brute strength does not equate to victory in battles. Finally, you've seen the light. I don't know why, but I think that it was the struggle against the late Mr. Ckracknow that finally convinced you the futility of banging your head against a wall, and the best way for winning is strategy, tactics, and the such, using your brain instead of only your muscles, and such, would require—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Look, are you going to teach me or are you going to talk all day about it?" sneered Buttercup.

"Okay okay, don't get upset," Blossom said. "Sheesh, don't you think you ought to listen to what I'm saying first? But if you wish to, then fine, though you'd learn less because you don't listen to my magnificent speeches. After all, they did persuade the people of Townsville to drop their riot against us. So let's go outside—"

"I think we better do it in the Professor's training room," said Buttercup. "It's too cold out there."

"Hm, okay, if that's how you want it," said Blossom.

So both puffs went to the training room, while Bubbles played with her doll in the living room alone, and the Professor went to work.

"Okay, Buttercup, I've brought here a couple of charts and graphs showing the energy level consumed at each of my techniques, and graphs and charts comparing it with your brute strength…" Blossom droned while Buttercup pretended to listen.

'I hope Brick arrives soon before she drives me crazy on her lectures,' Buttercup thought.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Broom, broom! My car drives fast towards his destination, having just escaped the cops!" Boomer said, playing his toy car.

"When suddenly, a plane appeared and began dropping bombs!" Butch, playing with a toy plane, said while dropping pellets on the car.

"But the amazing Boomer Edwards dodges the bombs," Boomer said.

"Then, a tank with anti-air weapons rolled by to rescue Boomer," Brick said, bringing his toy tank. It then shot a small pellet from its barrel, hitting the plane.

"I'm going down, I'm going down," Butch said while slowly crashing his plane. "I'm ejecting! I have survived using my parachute!"

"That was fun," said Brick. "Too bad I kicked your ass, Butch!"

"That shot was just lucky!" said Butch.

"So, what are we going to do the rest of the day? Maybe we can play in the snow outside," said Boomer, changing the topic of conversation.

"Nah, I'm going to the Utonium's today. Me and Blossom are going to have a discussion on who should be the leader," said Brick.

"So what time are we going?" asked Butch.

"Who's saying we? I'm saying, I am going there," said Brick, "alone."

"But why alone?" asked Boomer.

"Nah, he just wants to be alone with Blossom, his girlfriend!" Butch snickered.

"Oh shut-up Butch! That's really lame! I wouldn't touch that ugly girl with a seven-hundred foot pole!" Brick said.

"So why are you going alone?" said Boomer.

"I don't want any interference from you two. I best work with her alone," said Brick.

"I don't care what you and your girlfriend do, but don't sell us out!" Butch warned.

"For the last time, you idiot, she's not my goddamned girlfriend!" Brick shouted. "But don't worry. I won't sell you out. I only have your best interests at heart."

"You better not, but even if you do, we're still with you," Butch replied. "You know how loyal Boomer and I are to you."

"Thanks," Brick said. "It's ten minutes to nine, so I better get going."

So Brick went to the girls' house.

* * *

"Hi Brick," said Bubbles, who was still playing with her doll, when he arrived. "Wanna play dolls?"

"I don't play dolls," Brick asserted. "Anyway, where's Blossom? There's something I want to discuss with her."

"Oh she's downstairs in the Professor's training lab with Buttercup," said the blue puff. "I'll take you there."

Taking a surprised Brick by the hand, she dragged him towards the training room, where Brick finally yanked his hand from the over eager Bubbles. "Thanks, but I'll just follow."

"Hey Blossom, Brick is here," shouted Bubbles. "Hey Brick, want to take a look at our training room?"

"Why not?" Brick said, and he followed Bubbles into the training rooms. He was already familiar with the rooms of the house so he wasn't surprised too much by what he saw. Finally, they arrived, and found Buttercup and Blossom fighting each other.

"Blossom, Brick's here," shouted Bubbles.

Buttercup and Blossom stopped. "We'll continue this later," said Blossom. "I've got a meeting with Brick."

"Hope you settle your little dispute," said Buttercup while going near the metallic door of the training room.

"Hey Brick, I think you better go in," suggested Bubbles.

Brick went in and looked at the training room. "Wow! I never knew this one looked just like ours," said Brick.

"Yup! And it's stronger than it was since the last time you saw it. You see, during our Christmas vacation, the Professor replaced all the metal walls with Hardetal, so even we wouldn't break it if we tried," Blossom explained.

"Well, our training room is still better," Brick asserted. "Let's go upstairs, to your room or some other place. I don't like to discuss it here."

"Let's go to our room," agreed the pink puff leader.

Brick nodded, but before they can leave, the door suddenly closed. Blossom tried to open it using the controls beside the door, but it was no use. "Somebody must have accidentally locked it from the outside! And when this room is locked, the outside controls would override the controls inside."

"In other words, we're stuck in this room until somebody outside unlocks the door," said Brick.

"Buttercup, Bubbles, I think you accidentally locked the door!" the bow topped powerpuff shouted through a speaker.

"It ain't no accident, Blossom," the raven haired girl replied. "Bubbles and I purposely locked you together in that room!"

"What? No! Why the heck would you do that?" asked Blossom.

"I demand you unlock the door immediately, Buttercup," the redheaded rowdyruff shouted. "There will be hell to pay, and believe me, I will get back at you and Bubbles for this if you don't open the door right now! As the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance, I order you to!"

"Ha! You're still not leader," Buttercup retorted back. "You and Blossom still haven't settled that, remember? Okay, here's the deal. You will settle your dispute about the leadership problem. Only if you settle it both and you two agreed to abide by it would I unlock the door. Until you settle it, you would remain locked up in that training room. I'll be back in four hours, about lunch time, to see if you have found a solution. If not, then no lunch for both of you, and you will remain there! Bye!"

With that, Buttercup cut off the transmission from the speaker.

"Oh when I get out of here I'm going to punish them! Oh they are going to get it!" Brick shouted, pounding his fists on the door and walls.

"That Buttercup, so simple yet so effective," said Blossom.

"Hm, maybe I can call my brothers," said Brick.

"No, you can't. The walls of this room would block all transmissions," Blossom explained.

"Well I'll be! I'm going to make them pay!" Brick said.

"Well, at least they didn't tie us up," said Blossom, "like before. I would have died if they did it again, because I've had enough of that, especially after being kidnapped thrice by Mr. Ckracknow."

"Well, I have cuffs on my pocket, maybe it's not too late," Brick snickered.

"Don't you dare!" Blossom exploded.

"Just kidding!" Brick said, showing his empty pockets. "Seriously though, looking back, it was really funny that you were kidnapped not once, not even twice, but thrice—in three days! Maybe I should call you kidnap girl instead, since being kidnapped is so common to you! And not only by villains, but by your own sisters and us boys too! Hahahaha!"

"Shut up, Brick," an annoyed Blossom shouted. "Okay, I want to get out of this, so let's discuss what we're supposed to talk about. Okay, I say, let's arrange a new election."

"Yeah, but what would happen if there is a tie? I suggest that in that case, then the one who is the previous leader would be the new one," suggested Brick. "Just like before."

"No! Definitely not! How about, we look for someone who will cast the deciding vote. How about Professor?"

"No. He'll be biased for you," said Brick. "How about Dad?"

"P-lease! He's biased too!"

"Yeah, but he chose you leader the first time, remember?" said Brick.

"Yeah, but no, Dr. Edwards is out," said Blossom.

"Okay, how about Mitch?"

"He's a boy. He'll vote for you. How about Robyn?"

"She's a girl. She'll vote for you,"

"Well, let's scrap the election," said Blossom.

"How about another fight?" asked Brick.

"It's possible," said Blossom, "but no. Let's keep it non-violent. How about a game of chance?"

"No. I don't want to be leader just because of luck," said Brick. "Besides, it's too risky for me. How about this? We cuff each other up, and the first one to get loose will be the winner!"

"No. I've been cuffed-up and tied-up too may times before, and not once have I ever been able to escape by myself," said Blossom.

"Well, what then? We can't agree on anything! We can't just leave this unsettled or we're never going to get out of here!" Brick replied.

"Well, I can't think of anything!" Blossom said. "And it's not only you who wants to punish those two."

"What are you thinking, you ugly kidnap girl?"

"Stop calling me that, you jerk!" Blossom snapped. "I'm thinking, you remember how we punished the others for disobeying us?

"Oh no! It's harsh. I mean, I don't want to make them train in a far higher level than they can take until they get unconscious!" Brick argued.

"No you dummy, not that!" said Blossom. "Remember last September, when I ordered them not to fight each other while doing a mission, and Buttercup and Boomer still fought while leaving the giant ant alive? Remember the punishment I gave?"

Brick grinned. "So you're planning to tie them up and tickle them until they laugh their heads off?"

"That's the idea," said Blossom. "Besides, it's not really a punishment, but rather, something that they won't like, and something that they can't really complain about! I mean, there's nothing wrong with tickling, right? We always do it to each other!"

"I like how you think," said Brick, snickering. "You're almost as devious and cunning as me!"

"But we still need a solution to our problem of who will be the leader," said Blossom.

"Want to play a game of chess?" Brick asked, getting a tiny magnetic chess set from his jacket pocket. It was large enough for the pieces to be recognizable, and small enough for it to fit in his pocket.

"Why not?" Blossom said, and both spent the next three hours playing chess, with both having equal number of wins and loses and a couple of stalemates, like their struggle ever since they agreed to form the alliance.

"Checkmate," Brick said on their final game as he positioned his queen, protected by a pawn, besides her king, on the edge of the board.

With nowhere to go, she gave up.

"One more?" asked Brick.

"No, I think I finally found a solution to our problems," said Blossom. "Why don't we just alternate as leaders on a regular basis?"

"What do you mean?" asked Brick.

"Well, let's see. You can be the leader for the rest of the month, till January 31, 11:59, but on February 1, I'll be the leader until the end of the month, and you'll be leader again on March 1 till March 31. On April 1, I'll be leader again, and so on. What do you think?"

"Well, I don't like it, but since there's nothing else to go by, then fine, I'll accept your idea, but I have some reservations," said Brick.

"What?" asked Blossom. She was pleasantly surprised that he accepted it at all.

"If for example, there is a major crisis occurring at the turn of each month, whoever is leader at the beginning of the crisis will remain leader till the end of the month the crisis was over," Brick proposed. "For example, supposed another superpowerful villain attacked on January 29, and it took us till February 2 to defeat him, then I'll be leader till the end of February, and you'll be leader only on March 1. Of course, it could also apply to you when you're in charge."

"Fair enough," said Blossom. "Of course, whoever is leader would have absolute control over all business of the alliance, just like before."

Brick nodded.

"Well, glad we can settle this. I actually thought of this while we were playing chess," said Blossom. "By the way, won't your brothers be upset by our little arrangement? I mean, they don't like me giving orders to them."

"Don't worry about them," said Brick coldly. "Boomer won't mind, and Butch will never ever challenge me."

"But why did you accept my terms?" asked a curious Blossom. "I would think that you would prefer uncontested leadership in perpetuity."

"I still prefer it, but as they say, it's better to have a bird in the hand than two in the bush," Brick replied. "I'm just practical you know. I know that right now, I can't force you to accept me as the permanent leader, while I still want absolute control over the alliance. So your proposal is the best that I could have. I'm not totally happy with it, but I can live with it."

"That was what I was thinking too," said Blossom. "Well, Buttercup has got to release us since we settled our little dispute."

"Yeah, and I also want to get out of this room and get away from such an ugly girl like you, yuck, who keeps getting kidnapped!" Brick concluded.

"Keep it up Brick, just keep it up, and you might find yourself wishing you never opened your big fat mouth!" Blossom responded, again annoyed at Brick's teasing.

"Whatever. However, I have a plan to make those two pay," said Brick. And he told Blossom about it.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"You know Bubbles, I got this idea from watching a movie, I forgot what it was. Some kids locked two adults who always quarrel in the basement, and the adults were forced to settle their quarrel before the kids finally released them," explained Buttercup to her sister.

"Hm, don't you think it's time to check if they already settled it? I mean it's more than three hours you know," Bubbles said, concerned.

"Okay, you're right," Buttercup said. "Let's see if they aren't at each other's throats by now."

* * *

"You're dreaming! I am a better leader than you'll ever be!" Blossom shouted. "Remember, I was leader when we rescued our Dads from Ckracknow!"

"Oh yeah? Who was the leader when we defeated Ckracknow the second time and who defeated those five teen-agers?" Brick retorted. "I am still the greatest!"

"Hey Red, Brick, have you settled your little dispute yet?" Buttercup suddenly asked through the speaker.

Both leaders then ended their argument. "Yeah, we did."

"Well that's a surprise," said Buttercup.

"So who's the leader?" asked Bubbles.

"Well," Blossom began, and she explained their new arrangement to Buttercup.

"Wow. You two actually had a good idea for once," said Buttercup. "Brick, is that true?"

"Yes," he said.

"Wow, it was easier than I though," said Buttercup as she unlocked the door of the training room, then she and Bubbles went to the door of the training room to meet the two redheads.

"Why did you lock us in that room?" asked Blossom, smirking and folding her arms in front of her.

"If I don't, then you won't be motivated to settle your dispute," Buttercup asserted. "All you two would do is shout at each other and Brick would just leave and things would get worse. And the alliance would still be dead, and Bubbles over here would still be crying over its demise."

"Hey, I would not!" said Bubbles.

"You're probably right," said Brick to Buttercup, also with a smirk. "But it is absolutely unnecessary, and we would have solved it without you locking us. You locked us up in the room just to piss and annoy us!"

"Well, you figured us out," said Buttercup. "What about it?"

"Just watch your back," said Brick. "I promise you, you won't get away with this!"

"We already did," said Buttercup. "We got what we wanted!"

"Well Buttercup, turnabout is fair play," said Blossom. "But have you cooked lunch? I'm famished!"

"I'm going home," said Brick before zooming home.

* * *

Later, in about two in the afternoon…

The boys had already finished lunch. Their father was cleaning the mess at the kitchen while the boys were playing video games in the living room.

"Die Brick!" shouted Butch as he furiously pressed on the button of his controller. "Yes, a few more hits and I win!"

Brick however, with a couple of fast movements with his joystick, jumped his player, got a special bonus that both boys were counting on and then defeated Butch's player with one punch! "I win!"

"What! No! I should have won! You cheated!" Butch accused Brick.

"I did not! You just suck!" Brick shouted back.

"So how did the meeting with Blossom go?" asked Boomer who tried to diffuse the tension.

"Huh? Oh yes, we settled our little dispute," said the rowdyruff leader turning his attention away from Butch.

"So you're still the leader of the Ruff-Puff Alliance?" asked Butch.

"Yes and no," said Brick.

"Huh? What do you mean yes and no?" asked Butch.

Brick then explained his deal with Blossom.

"What? You traitor, you sold us out to that redheaded girl?" Butch suddenly shouted.

"Aw shut up, Butch," Brick lightheartedly said. "You sound ridiculous. I haven't finished. You see, it's all part of a plan. Even if it's Blossom turn to be leader, in reality, all her decisions would have to be approved by me, and I'll make sure that she won't do anything foolish. So I'm really in charge."

"How are you going to do it?" asked Butch.

"I ain't gonna tell! It's a secret!" Brick replied.

"Yeah right," Butch said, unconvinced that his brother hadn't sold his soul to Blossom, but left it at that.

"So anyway, we'll have a little project to do this afternoon, if you two can stand working with Blossom. I know you will because I say so, so listen carefully," Brick said, and talked to both his brothers.

* * *

In the meantime…

"Blossom, want some tea?" Bubbles said as both played pretend tea.

"Why certainly Bubbles," said Blossom, giggling. She then put forward her cup as Bubbles pretended to pour tea in it. She then pretended to drink it.

"Buttercup, you haven't drunk your tea yet," Bubbles said.

"This is really stupid," said Buttercup, with a frown on her face as she tried not to blow-up at being forced to play tea. "Is this my punishment for me locking you up earlier this morning?"

Blossom then laughed. "Oh no Buttercup, it's much worse than this. But I'm betting you'll laugh through it."

"I won't!"

"Will to!"

"Won't!"

"Okay, but if you do, promise me that you won't try to get back at me for me getting back at you?" Blossom said.

"Only that? What a doozer! Okay, I promise, that if I laugh at your revenge, then I won't. But I will resist and run if need be," said Buttercup.

"Oh believe me, you'll have blast," said Blossom, with a grin before taking an imaginary sip.

"Oh stop talking like that," said Bubbles. "I know Blossom will have a good payback, and it won't be too horrible for us. You still haven't drunk your tea yet, Buttercup."

* * *

Suddenly, they heard Brick on his watch.

"Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles, go to my house now! We're going to have a meeting on something very important! That's an order as leader of the alliance!"

"He can't just order—" Buttercup asserted.

"Oh yes he can," said Blossom. "After all, you accepted the deal we made with Brick, and when we told you that part where each one of you has to obey whoever is leader, you didn't object, and you even nodded. Besides, you're the one who insisted that we make any arrangement just to settle our dispute and preserve the alliance, you know. So we did. And you have no right to complain."

Bubbles nodded. "Blossom's right you know. Besides, it won't be any different from before. Blossom's so smart and cunning!"

The Powerpuff leader smiled, looked at a flustered Buttercup, and said, "Checkmate."

Buttercup's planned had backfired. Instead of teaching them a lesson on humility and bossiness, she instead made Blossom and Brick even more powerful and arrogant by reducing, if not eliminating, their incessant rivalry for leadership. The two became even more formidable.

"Okay, you win," said a grumpy Buttercup. "But you still won't get back at me for what I did!"

"Whatever," said Blossom. "I think we better go and see what Brick wants."

Buttercup, who then had a smirk on her face at that point, with her sisters, flew towards the boys' house. Landing in the front porch, Bubbles immediately pressed the doorbell.

"Come in," shouted Boomer's unmistakable voice.

Bubbles turned the knob, and all three girls entered the room. The boys were nowhere in sight.

"Boys!" Bubbles shouted.

"Now!" Brick's voiced shouted from behind. They were surprised, but before they could turn around, Brick and Butch tackled Buttercup to the floor on her stomach. Pulling her arms behind her, they quickly used one of their new cuffs to tie her up.

"What the—" Buttercup said.

Blossom quickly held Bubbles by her right arm, while Boomer quickly took the left arm. Bubbles sighed defeated as she looked at Buttercup and the boys struggle unevenly.

"I told you I'll get back at you two," said Blossom.

Buttercup grinned. "Yeah, but I ain't laughing, so the joke's on you!"

"We'll see," said Blossom, and turning to Bubbles. "I think you know what to do."

"So this is what you've in mind," said Bubbles excitedly as she put her hands behind her and Boomer secured the cuffs. "Are we going to play kidnap and damsel-in-distress again? And who's going to rescue us and play hero?"

"No, we're not. We're going to tickle you. Simple as that!" Blossom smiled.

Bubbles opened her mouth in surprise, while Blossom got her large bandanna and packed it in inside Bubbles' mouth. Grabbing a nearby roll of duct tape, she then tore off a strip, and put it over Bubbles closed lips. Boomer then cuffed her ankles, put on some anti-gravity belt, some goggles, and plopped her on the couch. Bubbles was giggling the entire time.

Boomer then went to his room.

Brick and Butch had subdued Buttercup, and cuffed and gagged her the exact same way. After placing an anti-gravity belt and goggles on her, they placed her on the couch.

"And now, to the tickling part," said Blossom with delight.

"Wait. Boomer has something that would really up the ante!" Brick said. He then looked at Bubbles and Buttercup. "I told you you're not getting away with it!"

Bubbles' eyes widened as she saw Boomer come back with four giant-sized feathers. She then backed deeper into the couch and giggled more, while Buttercup shook her head vigorously as she tried to hop away. But she was easily subdued and plopped back into the couch.

The three boys and Blossom got a feather each. Blossom removed Bubbles shoes, and, using the feather, gently stroked Bubbles' stocking covered feet. Bubbles immediately burst, laughing hysterically. She was laughing so hard that it was loud even behind the gag. Bubbles tried withdrawing her feet but the feather just followed it. She utterly lost it and dissolved in laughter. Boomer joined in, tickling the blond on the stomach and on the ribs, though he used his hands instead of the feather because of her thick winter dress nullified the effects of the feather. Her laughter exploded even more. After a minute, she was trying to regain her breathe after laughing so hard. She literally was "the joy and the laughter".

Brick also removed Buttercup's shoes, and he run the feather against her stocking covered feet. Buttercup tried to stifle her laughter, and her face was twisted into a grimace as she tried. Butch then stroked the tip of the feather into her cheeks and bare neck, and it was too much for Buttercup. It tipped the balance. She lost the struggle, and Buttercup laughed and laughed and laughed.

They continued the relentless tickling for five minutes, after which the both girls were breathing heavily and were full of sweat as their bodies, and their lungs, were utterly exhausted from continuously laughing.

"I think they had enough," said Blossom.

"Yeah. If we keep this up, they might laugh themselves to death," said Brick. "Boys, stop it."

"Well, since two of the girls are there, I don't see why Blossom here can't join them," Butch said with a grin on his face. He and Boomer then prepared to pounce on Blossom.

Blossom froze. "Wait—no!"

"Boomer, Butch, stop it!" said Brick, freezing both of his brothers on their tracks. "Our revenge is only for Bubbles and Buttercup!"

"But—" Butch protested.

"I said no! And that's final!" Brick firmly said.

"Okay, okay," Boomer said. "So now what do we do?"

"We watch TV, and after one hour, we tickle them then release them," Brick said.

Blossom sighed with relief. She had narrowly avoided her sisters' fate.

* * *

So they sat on the couch with Buttercup and Bubbles, and they watched cartoons for an hour. After that, they tickled them with feathers for five minutes again, then untied them.

"Ha, you laughed, so you can't get back at me!" Blossom triumphantly said.

"Yeah you won," said Buttercup. "Okay I won't get back at you for this. But this is uncalled for!"

"No it's not!" said Blossom.

"Well that was fun!" said Bubbles, jumping in excitement. "I never thought feathers could tickle so much!" Bubbles then grabbed the feather from Boomer's hand and tried tickling Blossom. Blossom yelped as she jumped away, but her path was blocked by Buttercup. However Blossom simply flew upwards.

Bubbles then jumped on Boomer, and began tickling him.

Boomer just lost it as he was tickled in the neck, stomach and ribs. He tried to get away, but Bubbles grabbed him with an iron grip, and used her other hand to tickle him. Butch and Brick just looked on, amused.

"Well, I won't get back at you," said Buttercup, smiling at Blossom, "but that doesn't mean I can't tickle you for other reasons! Besides, Bubbles never promised that she won't get back at you, and I never promised not to help her get back at you!"

"Not if I can help it!" Blossom said. "Well, we better be going."

At that, the girls flew back towards their house laughing, and in good spirits.

"Blossom's in for it now," said Boomer, shaking his head, still breathing heavily after laughing so much.

"Yup! Bubbles and Buttercup won't let her get away with it!" said Brick. "Even if it's all in good fun."

"The funny thing is, we are totally free, since they'll get back at Blossom, but can't touch us," said Butch. "Ha, you got your revenge, and directed all their ire towards Blossom. Very smart!"

The boys then resumed watching their favorite cartoons.

That night, Blossom got exactly the same medicine she inflicted on Bubbles and Buttercup. Of course, formally, it was Bubbles' revenge, and Buttercup was just helping, so technically, Buttercup didn't violate her bet that she won't get back at Blossom if she laughed. Brick of course got away with it as Buttercup and Bubbles can't think of a way to get back at him.

And so the struggle for leadership among Brick and Blossom came to an end, as they finally found an acceptable solution for both of them, and for the rest of them too. And it was Buttercup who ironically and indirectly was responsible for it.

And so ends the story, _Allies and Rivals II_: _Commander and the Leader_.

* * *

**The End**

And so ends the story. Thank you for reading this long tale. And to those who haven't reviewed, please review! Please!

The next tale to this story is of course, _Allies and Rivals III: Mind Games_. That story is set four years after the events of this story. They are ten years old. That story was already complete, but I have to warn you that I am currently reading it again and editing it for mistakes and to make some corrections. You can read it now, but only up to chapter 7. I will repost each chapter as I finished with the editing.

I already edited _Allies and Rivals_, the first story, and I have done so with this story too.

Of course, if you want to read more about the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys of this universe, you can read _The Date_, when Brick and Blossom arranged for Bubbles and Boomer to go on an amusement park one day. Buttercup was annoyed by the two leaders' arrogant attitude and tried, with Butch, to teach the redheads a lesson, but it slipped away. Will Boomer enjoy his date? Will Brick and Blossom get what they want out of the deal? Will Buttercup succeed in teaching the two readheads a lesson? And what is Mitch Mitchelson doing here?

Then there is _What is Buttercup's Plan?_, a story that happens directly after _The Date_, where Blossom attempts again to arrange something for Boomer and Bubbles, with Brick, but Brick wouldn't bite. It would be the last straw for Buttercup, who decided to implement her plan to teach the redheads a lesson! Would Buttercup this time succeed in getting the best out of the two brilliant redheads? What of Boomer and Butch? And will she escape revenge?

Then there is _The Dance_, a story where a _Sadie Hawkins Dance,_ where the girls ask the boys, and the boy has to take the first girl to ask him to the dance, or else! The boys conjure ways to get out from being asked, and going to the dance, while the girls, as a result of a combination of events, were left with only the Rowdyruffs to ask. Will the Rowdyruff Boys escape from the terrors of the dance? Or will the Powerpuff Girls manage to get the boys to the Dance? And what does Princess Morebucks have to do with all of this?

The three fics above, _The Date, What is Buttercup's Plan, _and _The Dance_, happens between Chapter 21 (The Triumph of the Ruff Puff Alliance), and Chapter 22 (Brick's Challenge) of this story, _Allies and Rivals II: Commander and the Leader._ The kids already had rescued Prof Utonium and Dr Edwards from Ckracknow's first island. Ckracknow himself escaped, got some financing from Mr Morebucks, and unknown to the kids, was creating the five clones that will attack Citiesville. Blossom's still the undisputed leader of the Ruff Puff Alliance, but Brick was plotting to grab it from the pink puff leader.

So if you read chapter 22 of this story, those three fics already had happened.

And of course, after _Allies and Rivals III: Mind Games_, there is _High_ _School_ _Odyssey_, set five years after _Allies_ _and_ _Rivals_ _III_. I haven't finished that story yet, and it has been on hiatus for quite a while. I'll probably continue it later this year, though I make no promises.


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